Our Life with AG
by michael.e.mcfee
Summary: Wilson Story concerning Will and Sonny's life after Arianna Grace is born. Based on spoilers after may 10th 2013. and quite a bit of my imagination.
1. Chapter 1

The Ambulance pulled up in front of Salem General Hospital. The driver jumped out of his truck as his partner opened the back doors. An emergency doctor was waiting for them. The EMS worker with the patient spoke, rather urgently, yet professionally to the doctor as they wheeled the patient towards the hospital's emergency room.

"Young male, pistol wound to the thigh. There are clear entrance and exit wounds. Rather extensive loss of blood. Patient is now unconscious due to blood loss"

The doctor, an ER resident named Alex Coulter, looking smug , simply said: **"Easy day at the office, then."**

The patient was taken to the emergency room where the doctor looked over the patient's leg. There was extreme damage to the muscle and possibly some ligaments. There had been extensive blood loss. **"Looks like the bullet might have torn through an artery. He needs to be stabilized. Let's get him to x-ray stat."**

The doctor looked at the patients chart: "**Well, William Horton. Let's see to that leg of yours, shall we..."**

At that moment a police car pulled up. A dark haired, rather good-looking young man, jumped out of the back of the car.. He rushed to the other side of the car, opened it, and helped out a rather stunning dark-haired Hispanic looking woman, holding what looked to be a very small child.

Sonny Kiriakis helped Gabi and the baby into the emergency room, where he spotted a doctor: **"Hey, we need a doctor over here. My friend just gave birth to a baby girl. We need help here. Also, did an ambulance show up with a pistol shot victim?"**

Dr. Coulter looked at the woman with the baby and said to Sonny: **"Your friend looks hurt; and when was this baby born?"**

Sonny stared at the doctor: **"Gabi is hurt, Doc, and the baby was born, like fifteen minutes ago."**

A nurse tried to take the baby from Gabi's arms, who was rather reluctant to give it up. **"Ma'am, we need to examine your baby. I promise you will get her back."** Gabi struggled for a few seconds but relinquished the baby to the nurse; and then Gabi, promptly lost consciousness. Fortunately Sonny was there to catch her: " Didn't anybody hear me when I said my friend was hurt? And I need to know if a William Horton was brought here!"

The doctor looked more closely at the young woman named Gabi. She was bleeding. **"Young man, William Horton is unconscious and presently in x-ray. And this young woman has been shot! What the hell happened?"** Sonny, still holding Gabi, was astonished that this doctor seemed to be so preoccupied with the past, instead of dealing with the present; but he reasoned the doctor must have his own reasons, so he sighed deeply and began to tell the doctor everything.

Will and Sonny were in Horton square, trying to figure out where Nick Fallon was. Sonny had basically convinced Will that it was Nick who had hurt Rafe. But they needed proof. So, Will suggested they take a page from his mother's book and spy on Nick. But first they had to find him.

As luck would have it, Will suddenly spotted Nick, walking briskly through the town square. He seemed to be mumbling to himself and extremely worried about something. Will grabbed Sonny's hand and pulled, all the while trying to focus on where Nick was headed. Sonny was unsure what was going on, so he expressed it, thankfully in a semi-whisper: **"Will, babe, what's going on?"**

Will simply leaned into Sonny, while still trying to keep up with Nick's pace; trying to keep Nick from getting too far ahead.** "I spotted Nick" **was all he had to say. Sonny let Will lead him until he himself saw Nick. Nick looked very worried and agitated. Sonny was sure there was something wrong or that something serious was about to go down.

Nick traveled through the town square, through a few alleys and ended up at the town's waterfront pier. Will and Sonny could see Nick heading towards two rather large, shadowy figures. One stepped aside and Will could see that there were now four. Nick, two large men and one much shorter and fatter one: **"I wonder what Nick is up to?"** He whispered to Sonny, who just now saw what Will had witnessed: **"I don't know. But it can't be good, whatever it is. I mean knowing Nick…**" Sonny did not get a chance to finish his sentence. He saw Will's face change. Will seemed horrified. Sonny quickly looked over to where Nick was, and he saw it too. The shorter, plumper figure had been forced into the light by one of the taller shadowy figures. It was Gabi, and she looked terrified.

Sonny heard Will yell: **"Gabi!"**, and before Sonny could stop him, Will was running towards the two shadowy figures, towards Gabi. Sonny was not about to let Will, fight them by himself; so within a fraction of a second of Will's leaving. Sonny was right behind him.

As Will and Sonny got closer they could hear Nick arguing with the other two. Actually, he wasn't arguing. He was pleading with them, pleading for Gabi. One of the other men had a hold of Gabi; it seemed he had her arm pinned behind her back. She looked very uncomfortable, and just a little scared.

Will heard Nick say: **"I told you Vargas, that I would get you the money as soon as I could. I need more time! Let my wife go. Can't you see she's pregnant?" **Then Will heard a series of things that caused him to react a bit too hastily. First Vargas said: **"Listen Fallon, I told you to get the money fast. You had ample enough time. Now it's too late. Maybe I'll just take Gabi here as payment. Or better yet, maybe I'll yank that baby out of her and sell it off the black market. Babies must be worth at least fifty grand!"**

But it wasn't Vargas' remarks that got Will to storm the two bigger men; it was Nick, yelling: **"No. Don't hurt my baby!" **

All Will could think was: **_"It's not YOUR Baby you homophobic ass! That baby is MINE!"_**

And so Will rushed the man who had Gabi, grabbing her and essentially tossing her towards Sonny, who grabbed her before she could fall and get hurt. He then punched the man, who turned out to be a man named Jensen, so hard that he fell to the ground. Hitting his head and was unconscious. He then turned his attention to Vargas. Vargas had time to pull out his gun, but not enough time to point it. Will grabbed Vargas' arm and struggled with him. There was a loud bang when the gun went off.

Both Vargas and Will toppled to the ground. Vargas landed on Will and Sonny rushed over to see if Will was okay. There was a lot of blood: **"Will! Will! Are you okay Will!"** Sonny could hear himself and Gabi screaming Will's name.

A few seconds elapsed and Vargas moved. It was obvious that Will had shoved him off. Vargas lay still and Will attempted to get up. Sonny and Gabby had surrounded Will. Sonny was hugging him and checking for holes at the same time. **"I'm okay Sonny! I'm fine. Help me up."**

Before Sonny could manage to get Will up they heard someone laughing behind them. Sonny, Will and Gabi looked towards the laughter to find Nick, pointing a gun at them: **"You stupid Faggot! You ruined everything!"**

Gabi was dumb-founded: **"Nick…Why are you using that language? And besides…Will just saved your life!" **

Nick just began to laugh more. In between hysterical chuckles Will, Gabi and Sonny were able to get a somewhat choppy story from Nick:** "They… won't stop… now that Vargas… is dead. And it's your fault Will. Your fault!"**

Nick pointed the gun at Will and fired. It hit Will in the leg. Blood started pouring out. But Nick wasn't done he tried to fire again. Sonny moved, as fast as he could, and hit Nick very hard. Nick went down even harder than Jensen did, hitting his head. He became motionless. The gun that was in Nick's hand fell to the ground and fired.

The bullet shot from the gun and went toward the ground and ricocheted several times. Gabi let out a cry of pain. Sonny went to her. He searched for blood and holes but couldn't find any: Gabi looked at Sonny, her eyes very wide:** "Sonny! I wasn't shot… I think I had a contraction, and I think my water broke!" **

Sonny cried out:** "Oh My God!" **and turned towards Will. Will was in a very bad way. The blood was pooling around him. Sonny took his jacket and wrapped it around Will's leg as tight as he could**: "Will, babe! Stay with me! You are going to be a daddy soon!" **

Will looked at Sonny, his blue eyes blurry from pain and lack of blood:** "Sonny. Go to Gabi…help her…please…do it for me…protect my daughter…Sonny**." Sonny grabbed Will in a huge hug and said, just before kissing him:** "I'll do that Will. For you. But you have to promise me to stay awake. Stay with me babe. Stay alive…" **

After the kiss, Will said weakly**: "I promise." **Sonny then gave his attention to Gabi.

Sonny went to Gabi who was sitting up her legs spread apart. He was bewildered. He was going to have to deliver this baby himself. Time felt strange. There was a lot of breathing and yelling and cries from Sonny:** "I see the head! Okay Gabi…push real hard!" **He felt the baby in his arms and heard the baby cry**.**

Thankfully just then an ambulance pulled up. They looked Will over first. Then one of them went to Gabi and helped her. Gave her a blanket for Arianna Grace, looked over the baby who had started to cry but had since calmed down.

Sonny went over to the EMS worker that was with Will:** "How is he?" **The EMS worker looked grim:** "He needs to get to a hospital ASAP." **Sonny then took the time to pay attention to his surroundings, in case Nick or anyone stirred.. There were police and detectives all around him. One came up to him and started asking him questions. After one or two questions, Sonny impatiently said:** "Look! My boyfriend is hurt, and the mother of his child just gave birth! We need to go to the hospital! Now!"**

The detective arranged for a police car to transport Sonny, Gaby and Arianna Grace to the Hospital. By this time the ambulance had left with Will. Sonny, Gaby and the baby followed the ambulance soon after.

The doctor looked at Sonny and said:** "So the pistol shot victim is your boyfriend? And this young woman is the mother of his child?" **Sonny just looked at the doctor, a look demonstrating how incredulous he was feeling at the moment:** "Yes. Can you help Gabi? And where is Will?" **

The doctor took a hold of Gabi and led her to an area where she could be checked out. He told Sonny that Will was still in X-ray and would be back here soon. Sonny could only sigh and whisper to the air: **"Will, babe. You had better keep your promise."**


	2. Chapter 2

Things were becoming rather complicated; complicated, and surreal; complicated, surreal and rather annoying.

Those were Sonny's thoughts as he stayed in a corner in the waiting room next to intensive care.

Normally Sonny would be pacing. He was extremely worried right now. First Will was in surgery; secondly, Arianna Grace, was still being looked over by the nurses; and lastly, there was what was happening with Gabi.

He wanted to pace and worry and even scream. But he couldn't because someone else was monopolizing that privilege at the moment. Sonny was staying out of the way of the hurricane that was Sami Brady.

She was on a rampage. She practically accosted Sonny with questions concerning Will and Arianna Grace's conditions when she first arrived. Then Gabi started hemorrhaging, very badly, and had to be taken to an OR. It was classic Sami. Even EJ couldn't control her. She started off in a panic and got worse and worse:

**"Where is Will? How is he? What about AG? Is she here? Where's Gabi? I need to talk to a doctor! Sonny, don't you know anything? What the hell happened out there?"**

And Sonny really tried to answer her questions. Finally EJ basically yelled at her to shut up. Sami calmed down enough for Sonny to answer most of her questions, but when she got to the point of Sonny and Will following Nick, and then more specifically Will trying to fend off someone with a gun, she again lost it:

**"Will did WHAT? How could he be so careless, so reckless? What was he thinking?"**

And then she stopped and looked at Sonny: **"And why didn't you stop him**?" All Sonny could do was break down:** "I'm sorry Mrs. Brady. I'm so sorry! I should have." **Sonny's voice cracked as he continued: **"I did try! When Nick shot Will I wrestled the gun from him! I should have done something sooner!"**

And then it was like the world stopped. Sami grabbed Sonny by his shoulders and looked Sonny in the eyes:** "What did you just say? Nick did this?" **and of course that was the moment that Hope Brady walked into the waiting room with none other than Nick Fallon.

And that was when Sonny found his corner. Sami walked up to Nick, who had his usual smug expression on his face, and tried to slap the smug right off it. It worked for a while. Hope did an almost protective gesture, to shield her nephew and then remembered that he was handcuffed and accused of attempted murder of another of her nephews.

So Hope backed off and let Sami have her way: "You effing bastard! You tried to murder my son! What the hell are you doing here?!" And she pushed at him, hard enough he needed to back up several times.

The smugness came back however, and he simply said: **"I'm here to see my wife and daughter."**

Sonny, safe in his corner, couldn't help himself. He had to jump in: **"Arianna Grace is not your daughter. And she never will be. Do you honestly think Gabi will let you near her after what you just did?"**

Nick Fallon looked at Sonny and smirked that arrogant smirk he reserves for people he thinks are beneath him; which is almost everybody: **"Gabi is my wife, therefore Arianna Grace will be my daughter. Your little Will gave up his rights and you and his crazy mother can't change that."**

Sami looked at Nick and noticed the recorder he flaunted at her earlier that day was still in his pocket. And then she had a very good idea:** "Hope…I know for a fact that Nick Fallon keeps voice records of important conversations in a recorder that happens to be in his pocket. Maybe it will be useful for his prosecution."**

And sure enough Nick Fallon took the recorder out of his pocket, threw it on the floor and stepped on it:** "How do you know I don't have a copy of your little boy's confession, huh bitch?" **

Sami looked at Nick and said: **"Because if you did, you wouldn't be acting so cocky." **

Hope saw this little exchange and said**: "What are you two talking about?" **Nick looked at Sami, a cocky smirk starting to form. His eyes betrayed him. Before he could say anything, Sami said to Hope:** "Nick here had a private recording of Will confessing to something he might have done at about fourteen. It was a private conversation to his father."**

Hope looked at Sami and then Nick:** "I never really knew you at all, did I?" **Nick was going to say something, probably something cocky; Hope interrupted him: **"Don't Nick. Don't say anything more. It won't do you any good. No one is likely to believe you."**

Sonny took this opportunity to interject:** "Will and I suspected that Nick was the one to hurt Rafe. You might want to investigate that Detective Brady."**

Nick couldn't contain himself anymore. He lashed out at Sonny and missed, but hit him verbally with:** "You effing faggot! You have no proof. You and your prissy little bum-buddy ruined everything!"**

Hope caught Nick in mid swing:** "Okay that's enough Nick. Change of plans. I think Sonny is right. Gabi won't want to see you; and I don't want my grand-niece to be anywhere near you right now. We are going to the station."**

Amid Nick's outburst and his exit, no one noticed that two sets of doctors had appeared and were waiting patiently for the ruckus to die down. It was Sonny that first noticed them.

**"Doctors! Any news on Will Horton or Gabi Fallon…and her daughter?"**

The doctors looked at one another; one nodded and spoke: "Will is recuperating in ICU. We managed to repair the damage to his leg. He lost a considerable amount of blood. We aren't sure what will mean to his recovery. We are however, guardedly optimistic."

Sonny was relieved. He was about to ask the doctors a question when he heard his question coming from Sami's lips: **"Can we see him?"** The doctor smiled: "**He'll need a little time to rest. A nurse will come to let you know when it's time."**

Sonny sighed: **"What about Gabi?"**

The other doctor looked a lot more grim**: "Gabi's condition is not good. She started hemorrhaging. We managed to stabilize her, but she has started bleeding again…twice. We are still investigating. She has lost a great quantity of blood. "**

Sami did not look very happy with this news:** "She will be okay right? I don't want to have to explain things to Rafe when he wakes up…"**

The doctor did not look happy. Sonny thought of another question:** "Can we see the baby? Is she okay?"**

Yet another doctor, who had appeared while the other two were engaged with the visitors, spoke:** "The baby is doing just fine. As I understand it, both the mother and father aren't in any condition to be with her. Is there any immediate family that can help?"**

Sonny looked down towards the floor. He really wanted to see Arianna Grace; but he wasn't legally her family. He was very surprised to hear Sami say: **"I am the father's mother and this here…" **and she indicated Sonny**, "is the father's boyfriend. We are family. We would both like to visit Arianna Grace."**

The doctor simply nodded and indicated that both Sami and Sonny should follow her. Sonny looked at Sami while walking to the maternity ward. Sami must have noticed, because she said:** "You ARE family Sonny. Will loves you and I know you love him. I yelled at you and I'm sorry; but that is what I do. I'm hardest on family. You'll get used to it."**

They arrived at the maternity ward. The doctor brought them to a crib. It wasn't an incubator; there were no fancy machines. She looked just as Sonny remembered her, just a few hours ago: **"Hey there A.G. I'm Sonny. I delivered you today. I know that if they could, both your mom and your dad would love to see you. But since they can't right now. I would love to hold you." **

He looked at the doctor, who knowing that Sonny was the person who delivered her, had a new-found respect for him:** "You sure can." **She picked up little A.G. and presented her to Sonny**: "Remember to hold her head, and keep her close to you. Let her feel your heartbeat. And by the way, Sonny, is it…" **Sonny nodded. As did the docto**r: "You did a great job. Arianna Grace is perfectly healthy."**

Sonny held Arianna Grace in his arms and cradled her. He looked at her beautiful face and said: **"Arianna Grace…I know your Mom would want to be here. And as for your Dad, he promised me that he would be here for you… and for me. I'm going to hold him to that promise. You should too. You are so beautiful A.G. and your Dad is going to love you so much."**

Sonny looked into the face of Arianna Grace. She looked so much like her mother, but also like her father. He thought to himself:** "Will, please stay alive to see this. Your daughter is amazing!"**


	3. Chapter 3

Sonny continued to hold little Arianna Grace in his arms. She was so tiny. Her little face was scrunched up; her tiny little hands brought to her face. She had a little tuft of very black hair, which looked too delicate to be on anyone's head, even a newborn's.

He was so absorbed in looking at the baby that he forgot that he wasn't the only one in the room. All of a sudden he looked up, to see Sami Brady and a doctor looking at him with smiles on their faces.

**"I'm so sorry. I'm monopolizing the baby",** he said. Sami continued to smile: **"It's okay Sonny. It's nice to see you reacting like that."**

**"Would you like to hold her?" **was his response. Sami nodded and Sonny handed Arianna Grace to her grandmother. Sami became as absorbed by Arianna Grace as Sonny had been.

After several minutes that consisted of Sonny and Sami holding and staring at Arianna Grace, Sonny felt other emotions tug at his heart. He looked at Sami, who was still rather absorbed by the little bundle of joy in her arms and said: **"Sami, I need to go. I need to see if Will is okay and Gabi too. But somebody should stay here with little Ari…"** he couldn't help himself as he stopped talking for just a second to tweak a little button nose.

** "Would you mind staying with her? I'll just see if there is any news and then I'll be back…or I'll have someone come and get you?"**

Sami looked up and smiled at Sonny: **"Please. I'll stay here and keep Arianna Grace company, if you wouldn't mind going to see about Will. Find out about Gabi and Rafe too, if you wouldn't mind." **Sonny said that he would, and then he walked back to the waiting room.

When he got there, he was overwhelmed by the amount of people who had shown up. There was Abigail and JJ, Dr. Evans, and a slew more Horton's and Brady's. And then he saw his great-aunt Maggie and his Uncle Vic, who were talking to none other than his Mom and Dad.

When Adrienne and Justin Kiriakis saw Sonny walking into the room they rushed over to him. Sonny was overwhelmed by them being here. He couldn't understand why they would show up for Will or Gabi, and so he asked them. It was Adrienne that responded:

**"Sonny, first of all we just got a call from the police to say that you were involved in an incident and that you were at the hospital but were not hurt. They wouldn't tell us any more than that. And secondly, when we got here and found out that Will was hurt, as well as Gabi, and that you helped deliver a BABY?...Well we had to see how you were holding up."**

Justin went on to praise Sonny as well and to ask him if he needed anything. Sonny was bewildered: **"I need for Will to be okay…that is all I need right now."** Adrienne looked at her son with as much warmth and compassion as she dared to give, without Sonny thinking she was smothering him:

**"We know sweetie. Believe me we get it. We haven't received word on Will, except to say that he is out of the operating room but is unconscious. The last we heard of Gabi…well it wasn't good."**

Adrienne then tried to switch gears**: "How's Adrianna Grace…is she okay**?" She hoped talking about the baby would change the subject and lighten Sonny's mood, even if it was just a bit, and only temporary. It worked. Sonny suddenly smiled and said:

**"Mom, she looks just beautiful. Sami told the doctors that I was family so I was one of the first…I mean other than when I helped in the delivery…to see her. I couldn't believe she did that…"**

Adrienne practically winced at the mention of Sami Brady's name; nothing unusual there. However, she did soften a bit as she said: **"That was mighty unselfish of her…unusually so…"**

Sonny let that slide. He went on to describe how much little Ari looked like her dad:** "She hasn't opened her eyes yet. Not really anyway. But I bet when she does they will be as blue as Will's."** Sonny let out a rather long sigh.

Adrienne and Justin asked Sonny to tell them exactly what happened. Sonny told them the basics and was about to go into more detail when a group of doctors walked in: **"Oh! Maybe they have news about Will or Gabi!"**

And sure enough they did. Sonny learned that Gabi was still hemorrhaging. It turns out that the doctor who first met them in the ER wasn't wrong. Gabi had been shot. Even though Sonny hadn't found anything and neither did Gabi or the EMS workers. It seems that small fragments of bullet had found their way and were tearing her to pieces. This was alarming, and Sonny expressed his fears: **"What about Arianna Grace? Has anyone checked to see if she was okay? Did any of the fragments hit her?"**

One of the doctors eyes got suddenly quite large and an "Oh" escaped his lips. He then rushed off, and was out of site in seconds.

Another of the doctors started talking about Will. His surgery went very well. He was however not recovering well. It seems that he had not awoken yet; and might be slipping into a coma.

There were shouts of alarm throughout the room. And quite a few looked at Sonny, for his reaction. There were a few that were surprised that Sami hadn't reacted. Then they realized she wasn't there. Sonny heard someone say: **"Who is going to tell Sami?"** and Sonny said: **"I will."**

He looked at the doctor and asked: **"Can I tell Will's mother that she can see him? Can I see him?"**

The doctor said that, of course Will's mother can see him. He only hesitated a little when it came to answering Sonny's second question:** "You're important to Will. He'll need all the important people in his life to visit him."**

Marlena Evans stepped forward and said: "**Sonny, go find my daughter. Tell her that her son needs her. Then you come back and join her. I'll go visit Will now."**

Sonny thought for a second and then turned to his great-aunt Maggie and said:** "Aunt Maggie, little Ari will need someone to stay with her. Sami is with her now. Would you be willing…?" **He didn't even have a chance to finish before Maggie said:** "Of course Sonny! Lead the way!" **And Sonny and Maggie walked together towards the maternity ward.

When Sonny and Maggie arrived at the maternity ward, there was a little 'incident' happening. It involved Sami, of course.

Sami was not happy. And when Sami wasn't happy, she became rather loud: **"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"**

Sonny surmised that the doctor that left abruptly when he had mentioned that someone should see about Arianna Grace, had either showed up or had caused someone else to show up, to examine little Ari. And they probably, because of urgency, neglected to inform Sami why they were yanking her granddaughter from her arms. That would have been a HUGE mistake.

Sami was in her element: **"Will someone just tell me what the hell is going on with my granddaughter?!"**

Sonny wasn't sure what to do. He could try to calm Sami down, but that would just have her turn her frustration towards him; and in normal circumstances he would do that; it was better for everyone, especially the doctors, if Sami was yelling at him and not the doctors; but he really couldn't handle that right now. Better to go with option two.

Sonny grabbed Sami so she would be looking right at him and basically yelled in her face: **"Sami the doctors are probably looking for the same kind of bullet fragments they found in Gabi! Just as a precaution! Let them do their job!"**

Sami took a deep breath:** "Well why didn't they just say that?" **She looked at Sonny, frowned and said:** "Since you're here, I guess you have news of my son…how is he? **Sonny nodded and said:** "He's out of surgery. They are having trouble waking him up. We need to go. Aunt Maggie will stay with Arianna Grace."**

And so Sonny was now practically jogging behind the whirlwind that was Sami Brady. They arrived at the nurse's station and someone directed them to yet another room. Sonny saw Dr. Evans sitting on a chair next to Will, who was lying motionless on a hospital bed. His eyes were closed.

Sonny waited outside to give Sami and Marlena some time with Will. After all, they were his mother and grandmother. They were his family. They had a right to be here. What rights did he really have?

He had just enough time to rehash every moment of this night in his head. Telling himself what he should have, or could have, done to make it so that Will wasn't lying in there. Tears had begun to stream across his face.

He was jolted into reality by a gentle hand on his shoulder. It was Sami: **"What are you doing out here Sonny? You should be in here with us…" **Sonny shook his head and said:** "You're his family…I thought you'd want time alone with him."**

Sami, who saw the emotion on Sonny's face, and recognized the worry and the blame-game that must have been going on inside his head simply said:** "And you Sonny, have his heart. You need to be in here to help him come back to us…" **She grinned, a soft compassionate grin:** "So get your butt in here Sonny"**

And so Sonny went into the room. Marlena stood up to let Sonny have his place on the chair next to Will. Marlena hugged Sonny before he had a chance to sit down: **"You did good today Sonny. Why don't you tell my grandson about his daughter."**

And so, Sonny sat down in the chair. He grabbed Will's hand and squeezed gently: **"Hey there babe. They tell me you're having trouble waking up…."** A million things he could say swam inside his head…he wanted to say how much he loved Will. Will already knew that. Or that he couldn't live without Will there. Will knew that too. So instead he chose to say: **"Will, your daughter…she is so beautiful…she looks just like you. I know you thought that I wouldn't be able to handle her in my life. That was why you took so long to tell me. But I saw her Will…and I fell in love with her…almost as fast as I fell in love with you."**

He went on to describe her in detail. Sami and Marlena looked on, tears rolling down their faces. Sonny was saying the exact right things: **"You have got to wake up Will. She is so gorgeous. And besides you have a promise to keep. Well several actually, but remember you promised that you would have the two a.m. feedings…"**

The monitors were silent and there was no movement. But Sonny knew instinctively that Will was very close. It was just a matter of time.

He heard a noise in the background and turned to see a doctor standing in the doorway waiting. Sami turned to the doctor and asked: **"Do you have any news on Gabi?"**

Sonny saw a very professional looking woman with a rather neutral look on her face. He wondered to himself if this was a good sign or a bad sign; and waited patiently for the doctor to tell them her news.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonny could see that the doctor was hesitating. He could also see that Sami was becoming impatient. Marlena could see that the doctor was trying to decide something. It was Marlena that spoke first: **"Doctor, is this something that you would like to tell us outside the hearing of a certain patient?"**

That is when Sonny could see that the doctor made up her mind. She simply nodded and indicated that they should step out of the room. Sonny, Sami and Marlena did just that.

Sonny had let the women go first. When he stepped out, he noticed that his father and mother were there also. He briefly wondered about that; and then he saw the look in his mother's eyes. There had been tears there that were wiped clean. She looked like she was trying to hold back very strong emotions.

He wasn't the only one to see this or sense this. He heard Sami say:** "Okay. What is going on. What's so wrong that you don't want my son to hear it? Is he okay?"**

The doctor, her face still very neutral simply said:** "This is not news about your son, Mrs. Brady. This is about Gabi…" **she went on to explain that they had done everything they could, but they couldn't stop the bleeding. And unfortunately Gabi died on the operating room table.

Sonny was in shock. Gabi died? What is this going to mean for the baby? How are they going to tell Will that one of his best friends, the mother of his child, is dead? Everything seemed to have stopped. Time stood still. All Sonny could think to say was: **"What about little Ari? How is she going to cope without her mother?"**

When he could finally focus, he saw his father smile. How could he be smiling at a time like this! This was terrible news, for Will and for Arianna Grace. His father walked up to him and handed him a document.

**"Sonny, the hospital's lawyers handed me this document to give to you. It seems that Gabi was conscious throughout most of her ordeal; and before the end, she had the hospital's lawyers draw this up."**

Sonny looked at the document. What could this possibly be? What could Gabi possibly want with him; that she would spend her remaining energy with lawyers, writing something out for him. The only reason he tolerated her was because she was Will's friend and the mother of Will's child. And she really didn't like him. She tolerated him for Will's sake.

He slowly read the document. His face blanched. He re-read it again. And then again. This couldn't be right. This had to be a joke. **"Dad, what is this? Gabi named me as Arianna Grace's legal guardian…Why would she do that?"**

Justin's smile got quite a bit larger**: "It seems that Gabi realized that she wasn't going to make it. She also realized that Nick still had a document that stated that Will willingly relinquished his rights to his baby."** Justin also stated that the hospital lawyers advised him that Gabi did not want Nick Fallon to have anything to do with the baby. **"The document expressly states that very fact. It will allow you to give Will Horton back his parental rights if you chose to do so. But in case Will doesn't make it, she wanted to be sure her baby was in good hands"**

Sonny started to shake. A myriad of feelings swept over him; feelings that very definitely conflicted with one another; feelings of great sadness and great joy, of worry and concern and pride. He looked at the doctor: **"Where is Gabi…I would like to see her if I can."** He turned to Sami and Marlena: **"Please go back to Will…I'll be back to him in a little while…I also need to see little Ari..Oh God…poor little Ari…"**

And that is when he lost control. Sonny didn't usually do that. Kiriakis' don't show much emotion, except maybe anger, certainly not tears; but for the second time today, or maybe it was the third, tears streamed down his face. He lost his balance; but felt a reassuring weight and started to cry on that person's shoulder.

Of all people to console him, Sonny was astounded when he looked up and realized that it was Sami whose shoulder he had cried on: **"Sonny…it's okay sweetie…I know you are overwhelmed right now. But you have me and you have your Mom and Dad and Marlena and a slew of over people. We will be here for you. You will be just fine."**

Sonny still very much overwhelmed, simply nodded and thanked Sami, went to his mother and hugged her, and then nodded to the doctor who started walking towards where Gabi was.

The doctor indicated a room and Sonny entered. Things had already been tidied up. Gabi was lying on a table, blue covers covering most of her body. She looked very peaceful.

Sonny stepped towards her and put a tentative hand on her cheek. It was still warm, but not warm enough. He wasn't sure why he needed to see her. But he did. She wasn't his favorite person. She had been very important to Will, he always knew that. And Will had made decisions because of her that weren't always the right ones for him or for Sonny or their relationship. But Sonny and Will lived through them. And they would live through this.

**"I guess I came here to thank you, Gabi."** And as he stroked her cheek, which was getting colder and colder, and he continued: **"You haven't always made the right choices. But your last choice, that was the right one. And I want to thank you. I will do everything I can to make sure your daughter has a great life. I hope I get to do it with Will…"**

He hesitated a little, his voice cracking, by the force of his emotions: **"But even if I don't. If Will joins you, wherever you are now…I will make sure Little Ari…Arianna Grace…will always know who her mother was. I'll tell her that you loved her…so very much. I'll take care of her, and raise her in the loving, compassionate and accepting way that I know you would have wanted her to be raised…Take care Gabi"**

Sonny walked rather slowly to the maternity ward. He wanted to calm his emotions. He wanted to be in a frame of mind suitably fitting for a man to be in when meeting his daughter, for that is what Arianna Grace was to him now, for all intents and purposes.

As he rounded a corner he saw something that shocked him to the bone. His Aunt Maggie was handing Arianna Grace over to none other than Nick Fallon. He became rather angry just then, and he started to run towards them. He wondered what Nick was doing here. As he ran he shouted: **"Aunt Maggie…stop!"**

Maggie heard Sonny call out to her and say stop. She froze and brought Arianna Grace into a protective embrace. Nick Fallon looked disappointed:** "What the hell are you doing here Sonny…"**

Sonny sneered at Nick:** "I could say the same to you Nick. I would have thought they would have shipped you off to prison by now."**

Maggie still looked shocked:** "Sonny what is going on…I was just giving Arianna Grace to Nick…After all, since Gabi died, and Rafe is still in a coma, the closest thing this little has to family, is Nick."**

Sonny looked at his aunt a little annoyed:** "Aunt Maggie, you are forgetting Will, the baby's father…" **and he saw his aunt blanch a little from embarrassment.

Nick grunted dismissively:** "Will gave up his rights Sonny. I still have those papers. Since Gabi died, and as her husband, her baby is now mine. And there is nothing you can do to stop it."**

Sonny straightened at that. There was something he could do to stop this and he knew it. And it brought him great joy when he realized that Nick didn't know this yet:** "Actually, Nick, there is. Gabi left a last testament. And in it, she stated that I was to be Arianna Grace's legal guardian. She further mentioned, specifically, that she did not want you, Nick, to have anything to do with little Ari's upbringing. And I will make sure her wishes are met."**

Nick looked shocked:** "I don't believe you! She wouldn't dare!" **Sonny countered Nick's incredulity with some of his own: **"Dared? Nick, did you really just say that? Arianna isn't some toy…she is a child…."**

Nick suddenly lashed out:** "I won't let you! Will was bad enough…but you! I'll fight this! There is no way that a judge would let two pansy-freaks raise a child! Not when there is a better choice available…"**

Before Sonny could respond a group of doctors and nurses surrounded Nick and Sonny. One of them stepped forward and took the baby from Maggie's arms:** "We have just been informed that a Sonny Kiriakis is now legally responsible for this child. No one will be allowed access to her until such time as we have her guardian's permission. I'm sorry."**

Sonny thanked God for bureaucracy:** "I am Sonny Kiriakis. And I do not want this man anywhere near this child." **The nurse looked at Nick and simply said:** "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave, sir. Now."**

Nick had a stupefied look on his face:** "You can't be serious. This faggot shouldn't have the legal right to make decisions about a child. You should disregard your notice. I am the baby's mother's husband." **Nick left out what he considered the most important part **"…and not gay."**

The nurse looked at Nick, judgment written all over her face:** "Sir, if this man is Sonny Kiriakis, then that is what matters to us. And if he is gay…" **and she looked at Sonny trying to stay serious: **"Then so much the better for him, and the child. You, however, need to leave."**

Nick stormed out of the maternity ward but not without stating first:** "This isn't over, pansy. I'll get Arianna Grace back. "**

Sonny fumbled in his pockets for identification, to make it official. He then turned to his aunt Maggie, who simply nodded and handed Arianna Grace to him. Sonny took her protectively in his arms. As he looked at her, he noticed that her eyes were opened and she looked at the world with the second bluest eyes he'd ever seen, the bluest being Will's.

He sighed and whispered to her:** "Well Little Ari, I'm sorry you had to witness that nasty man and I fight. But it's over now. And right now I'm going to ask the nice doctors and nurses here how you are doing…and then I'm going to ask them if it would be all right for you and I to go visit your daddy; because I think he needs to see you. Is that okay?" **


	5. Chapter 5

Sonny arrived at Will's hospital room carrying a very nice baby bassinet. The doctors and nurses were very nice to him. They informed him that they had examined Arianna Grace very thoroughly; and there were no signs of any bullet fragments. Little Ari was very healthy. Since there was no possibility of Arianna Grace having her mother's milk, they put her on formula. They would be taking a day or so to monitor her so that the correct combinations of formulas were used; to ensure healthy growth. It would also give Sonny time to figure out the baby situation; meaning where he would be taking her.

It was Adrienne that came up with the solution. A nursery was already being set up for Little Ari at the Kiriakis Mansion. That was where she would have been going with Gabi and Nick. And so Adrienne insisted that Sonny should take Arianna Grace there. At least until things could be arranged elsewhere. **"And you don't have to decide right away**" was all that Adrienne needed to say, except for the very useful comment: **"Oh. And Nick will not be there. So you will not have to worry about him**."

And so, the doctors had finally given the red light for Sonny to take Arianna Grace home. She was put in her bassinet, and Sonny walked her, not towards the hospital's entrance atrium, but to where the girl's father was still being held.

Sonny had a few scary moments the night before. He had asked Sami to tell him if there was any change regarding Will, if she could tell him right away. In the urgency of the situation, Sonny had only found out later that there had been two more rather scary moments. Will had gone into seizures twice. After the second time a deeper coma was induced. Things had stabilized since then. But between what was happening with Arianna Grace and with Will, Sonny had not gotten a lot of sleep.

When Sonny was getting Little Ari ready to go home, Sami had come by, for two reasons; she wanted to see her grand-daughter and she wanted to ask Sonny if he could bring Arianna Grace over to see her father before she and Sonny left the hospital.

Sonny wasn't used to anyone deferring to him, especially when it came to making the decisions for another person. He was rather overwhelmed by this entire situation. But he did not even have to think for even a second before he agreed to bring Arianna Grace to see Will. Perhaps seeing her would be just the thing to bring Will back. He had intended this all along, but circumstances just kept changing.

He stepped into the room and saw that Sami and Marlena were there. Will was lying on his back. He no longer had the mask on his face which had been the case when Sonny had visited him after the second seizure. When Sami and Marlena saw Sonny with Arianna Grace went went all giddy; Sami said it best: **"Little Ari is here! Oh Will. You should see your daughter!"**

After a little visit of their own with Arianna Grace, both Sami and Marlena stepped back and let Sonny and Arianna Grace have some private time with Will. Sonny took Little Ari out of her bassinet and presented her to Will: **"Hey babe…I know you've had problems lately, so I understand that you've taken your time in coming back to me. But I want to introduce you to someone now…"**

He lifted Arianna Grace and but her face towards his. Little Ari did a normal baby-whimper. Sonny continued what he hoped would be the speech to wake his true love up: **"Will…I made you a promise. I promised you that I would take care of your daughter. I think I lived up to that promise. This is your daughter Will. I really would like you to look at her."**

Sonny waited a little; but frustration got the better of him:** "Will, damn it! I fulfilled my part of the bargain. Your daughter…she's beautiful! She looks like Gabi…but also like you… She has your eyes Will…Please look at them…She is looking at you…Please…"**

Sami and Marlena were next to one another. They were close to the door to the room; trying to hang back, to give Sonny as much room as he needed. They were so hoping that Sonny being there with Arianna Grace would have been the thing to do the trick; the spark that would wake Will from his slumber.

Tears were flowing from both sets of eyes, as they witnessed Sonny's emotional plea; and as they realized that his plea might not be enough. But Sonny hadn't finished. He brought himself and Little Ari even closer to Will. He brought his lips to Will's ears and he whispered, a rather raspy-forceful whisper: **"Will…you made me a promise; that you would stay alive. But you need to do more. This little baby needs you Will. You are now all she has; except for me…But I'm not sure if I can do this without you Babe. If you can't help me…I might be forced to…to give her to Nick…"**

The mention of Nick was way too much for Sami. She sprang forward. She really couldn't help herself. She was about to lash out and really lay into Sonny when she noticed something. Will's hand had flown upwards towards one of Sonny's arms that was holding Arianna Grace. His eyes shot open. And a very throaty sound escaped his lips: **"Don't…you…dare…"**

Sami was ecstatic. Marlena let out a cry of astonishment and ran out to inform the nursing staff. Sonny kept Little Ari near Will, where he could see her eyes. And sure enough…not long after, blue eyes met blue eyes**.**

Sonny could tell that Will wanted to say more. He put a finger on Will's lips and made a **"shhhhhhhhhh"** sound. He then shook his head and said: **"I'm sorry I had to do that to you Will. I was desperate. There is no way I am going to allow Nick anywhere near our little girl."**

And again Will's eyes crinkled. He had a few questions. Sonny silently thanked the nurses and doctors who swarmed the room; looking at monitors and examining the patient. Sonny left the room temporarily with Arianna Grace placed back in her bassinet. He sat down on a bench, setting the bassinet on the floor and promptly closed his eyes and had a little nap.

Sonny felt a little nudge and his eyes opened to find they were looking at his mother and father, who had come to pick him up. **"Oh Mom! I'm sorry…"**

His mother just hugged him and said:** "Sweetie. When you weren't downstairs in the lobby…we had a feeling we knew where you were**…" She stood up and looked towards Will's room: **"We had a nice little chat with Will already…"**

She went on to explain that they had arrived just in time for the last of the doctors and nurses to have finished examining Will. And then they witnessed when Will asked about Gabi: **"He took it a little hard…sweetie…but he's okay now." **

Sonny looked surprised:** "Why didn't anyone come and get me…" **His mother simply smiled: **"Will actually yelled out your name. When you didn't respond he shot right up and came to the door and saw that you were sleeping. He calmed right down, and went back to his bed. He just asked me to come and wake you up…gently…and he asked me… to ask you… for permission to see Arianna Grace…"**

Sonny looked puzzled:** "He doesn't have to ask me for permission to see his own daughter…" **Justin smiled and said:** "He knows that you wouldn't do that to him…But he asked me what the implications were…of you being Arianna Grace's legal guardian…and I told him…"**

Sonny stood up and gently grabbed the bassinet that had a still-sleeping Arianna Grace in it and carefully walked back to Will's hospital room. When he got there he saw Will sitting up in his bed. He was dressed in street close; loose-fitting, so they wouldn't interfere with the bandages on his leg. He was talking to his Sami and Marlena. When Will saw Sonny, he said: **"Well, hello sleepy-head. You've had a rather busy time lately, or so I hear…"**

Sonny sat down next to Will, putting the bassinet on his knees:** "Not any busier than you. How are you Will? You scared me there for a while you know…" **Sonny reached into the bassinet and gently brought out a sleeping Arianna Grace: **"Will, I'd like for you to officially meet your daughter…"** He brought Little Ari to his face and whispered: **"And Little Ari…this is your Dad…"** He asked Will to hold out his hands and to be careful of the baby's head and then gently placed Arianna Grace into the arms of Will Horton.

Will smiled his gorgeous smile, his blue eyes twinkling. He was very happy. As he sat there cradling Arianna Grace in his arms, he looked at Sonny: **"Thank you for helping bring my daughter into the world Sonny. I owe you so much; and I love you more than I can say right now. I need a favour. I need your authorization for…"**

Sonny quickly interrupted Will: **"… a paternity test. I know. Will, Babe, that was one of the first things I did. You were unconscious but your mom gave permission on your behalf for a blood sample. The results will be official some time tomorrow. The birth certificate will reflect the result of the test…"**

Will looked at his mother, with eyes that said:** "Why didn't you tell me?" **Sami shrugged and said: **"Will, that was something I thought Sonny deserved to tell you." **Will smirked and said:** "Must have been hard for you. Keeping something like that in." **Sami smiled and said:** "It was. But it was worth seeing the looks on both your faces." **And she indicated both Will and Sonny with a sweep of her arm.

Sonny looked at Will holding Arianna Grace and sighed: **"I'm so glad you are happy Will…And it looks like you are getting ready to go somewhere?" **Will looked at Sonny and smiled: "Yes Sonny… I've been discharged provisionally. I'll need to still be monitored; but I'm going home."

Sonny's face changed from happy to sad in an instant: **"Home? But Will…I would have thought that you'd want to be with me and Arianna Grace? We'll be going to the Kiriakis Mansion…"**

Will laughed: **"I know Sonny. My home, from now on, is wherever you and Little Ari are. You are my home. I'm going with you, if that's okay."**

Sonny leaned forward, careful not to crush Little Ari, who remained between them, and gave Will a gentle and very passionate kiss. When they finally released their hold on each other, Sonny said:** "That would be perfect."**


	6. Chapter 6

The car pulled up to the Kiriakis mansion. Will glanced again at the beautifully organized grounds; filled with flowers of all sorts and exotic bushes. An overly large swimming pool could be seen near an Atrium, jutting from the main house, and there was a tennis court not too far away.

Will pondered the number of times that he had spent at the house; visiting family and friends, mainly his Aunt Maggie and Melanie. And then, coming for family visits with Sonny; and most recently visiting Gabi.

When Will's thoughts turned to Gabi his eyes welled up. He still couldn't believe that she was gone. She had been his friend for a very long time. He'd shared so many moments with her, good and bad. She helped him in so many ways, that he couldn't begin to repay; and now he would have to pay-it-forward, and help out her daughter…his daughter, on her behalf.

He glanced at the bassinet that was safely secured between himself and Sonny. Everyone said that Arianna Grace looked like him. All he could see was Gabi in her. She certainly was beautiful like her mother that was for sure.

Sonny glanced over at Will and saw him staring teary-eyed at his daughter. Sonny knew that Will was thinking about Gabi, and the fact that she was gone. The funeral was being postponed in order for Gabi's family to be able to arrive in time for it. It was also being postponed to give time for Rafe to wake up. Sonny knew that Nick was pushing to have the funeral as soon as possible. Nick was being a dick, as usual.

Sonny couldn't understand why he was even allowed to be out of prison. There were so many violations of his parole committed by him a few days ago, people stopped counting. But somehow, he was free on bail.

As the car pulled up near the front entrance of the Mansion, Sonny sighed, shaking off his thoughts of Nick, reached over and grabbed Wiil's shoulder to get his attention. Will looked up at Sonny and smiled one of his beautiful smiles. Sonny smiled back as he said: **"Will. Remember, your job is to get your cane, and walk to the front door. My Mom and Dad are already there, and they said they would greet us, and help you into the house if you need it. You need to put some weight on that leg of yours, but not too much. You got that babe?"**

Will rolled his eyes. He loved it when Sonny was protective of him, but he'd lost count of the number of times someone told him about his leg and the weight he was supposed to put on it; and not put on it.

He knew that Sonny had seen his eye roll, because Sonny had made a smirky eye-roll of his own; so he didn't have to say anything as he got out of the car; grabbed his cane and started walking towards the front steps.

Sonny got out of the car, turned around, leaned in and struggled to remember how to release the darn bassinet from the car-seat base. It took him awhile but he finally did it. He had cursed a little too loudly, and that caused Little Ari to react; but she calmed down just as quickly, when Sonny cooed at her, thanks heavens for that.

Will got to the first of the stairs and started up. He briefly looked back to see where Sonny was behind him. Sonny was right there, bassinet in hand: **"I thought my dad at least would be out here to help…are you able to get up these stairs?"**

Will moved his legs up slowly, and grimaced with the weight of the impact of his foot on the stairs, with his bad leg:** "I'll be fine, Sonny. Why don't you go up ahead."**

Sonny shook his head:** "No Will. We will be entering this house together, all three of us. I'll just stay close…" **He looked at the little baby squirming in the bassinet, and pointed to her, as he said:** "…but not too close. Be careful Will."**

Sonny matched Will step for step; internally wincing every time Will used his bad leg and actually visibly winced. Sonny could not help but wonder why no one had come out to greet them. Arrangements had been made. His father had told him he would be waiting outside to avoid exactly what was happening now. There were a lot of steps into this house; and poor Will was feeling each and every one of them.

They finally got to the door. Sonny got to the door first and tried to open it with one hand, unsuccessfully. Then Will tried, almost falling over as he hopped and balanced and tried to handle the door and his cane at the same time. His attempts were just as unsuccessful as Sonny's.

Sonny chuckled and, putting his free hand on Will's shoulder said:** "Will, let me try again. Would you mind holding the baby? That will free up my hands."**

Will looked at Sonny, with a mock-incredulous look on his face**: "Did you just ask me if I minded holding my own baby, Sonny?" **Then gave Sonny a very warm and loving smile and simply held out a hand readying himself for the weight of the bassinet.

Sonny handed the bassinet over to Will, but not before crouching down and saying:** "See you later sweetie."**

Sonny opened the door and Will handed the bassinet back to Sonny, but not before he, in his turn said to his Little Ari: **"See you later sweetie."**

Sonny held the very large and heavy door open with his own body and let Will go through the door first. He then entered the large entrance hall to the Kiriakis Mansion.

As they both neared the front parlour, they heard voices. Someone was not happy about something. And that someone was Justin Kiriakis: **"With all to respect Uncle Vic. And I respect your wife's motives. But he needs to leave. My son and Will are going to arrive very soon, and I don't think either one of them needs to be around him right now."**

As it was too late to turn back, both Will and Sonny walked in to the front parlour, and witnessed Justin, Adrienne, Uncle Vic and Aunt Maggie energetically discussing Nick Fallon who was huddled in the far corner of the room.

Sonny looked directly at Will and could see the exact moment that Will saw Nick Fallon. Will's eyes went wide. All the weight of his body went on his good leg, so that he could lift his cane like a sword. Various expressions flew across his face; astonishment, fear, anger and resolve.

Nick stood up from his chair when he realized Sonny and Will had come into the room. He took up a defensive posture immediately. Sonny noticed that. He looked towards Will and noticed that Will hadn't really noticed how defensive Nick was. It seemed to Sonny that Will only saw Nick as an aggressor.

It was Maggie that spoke to Will and Sonny first: **"Will, Sonny. I know that you have issues with Nick. I just hope that you realize that he is hurting…just as much as you."**

Before Sonny could stop him, Will went on the attack, not against his Aunt Maggie, but against Nick:** "He killed Gabi Aunt Maggie…" **Will stared at Nick : "**You do realize that don't you?! In your haste to get rid of me…you killed your own wife! What are you doing here?! What do you want?!"**

Nick looked directly at Will, his entire body was trembling:** "I want to see my…I would like to see Gabi's daughter. Arianna Grace is all that I have left of Gabi. Please…can I just look at her…I haven't been allowed to see her yet"**

Sonny was about to say: **_"That was your own damn fault";_** but he glanced towards Will. He could see Will's face soften, as a result of Nick's plea. He could see Will actually struggle to maintain his anger; but in the end Will's compassionate nature won out. In that moment Sonny could not love Will more. Will was an amazing man.

As Sonny witnessed Will's expression soften, his own did as well. But not nearly as much as Will's. Sonny turned his attention to Nick:** "Nick, I know you are hurting. I know you miss Gabi. But I need you to understand, Nick, that I cannot allow Arianna Grace to be exposed to hatred. Especially if that hatred is directed at her fathers…"**

Sonny could see Nick struggle with that concept, so he pressed on:** "I know you don't think Will and I are suited to be parents, Nick. I just want you to be honest and tell us why. "**

Nick looked around the room. He saw several people staring at him waiting for him to respond. They all wanted to know; although most already suspected the reason. Nick just looked at Will and Sonny; stared at them. He opened his mouth to say something; but it seemed nothing would come out. It was Will that broke the silence: **"Nick, just be honest, please. You told me the reason. It is because Sonny and I are gay. What is it that you said? Oh Yeah…" **and for emphasis, Will spoke with his best Nick-like impression:

**"If you two want something to love get a dog…yeah that was it. And that people like us shouldn't be around children. And that you were going to protect Arianna Grace from us. I get all that…What I want to know is why? What made you suddenly feel that way Nick? You weren't that way before prison…Tell us the reason and maybe Sonny will let you meet Arianna Grace…"**

Nick all of a sudden got very angry: "**You two just won't stop. Prison was bad. Things happened. Things that opened my eyes to what makes people like the two of you tick."**

Nick looked around the room. He expected to see at least one person agreeing with his views. But he did not see one; not even his Aunt Maggie, who was looking more confused with each passing second. He did not like this feeling of isolation, not one bit.

Will could see that Nick's temper, and the tension it was causing throughout his entire body was about to explode. And Will knew that an enraged Nick wasn't good for anyone, including Nick. Will tried to be diplomatic as he said: **"Nick, have Sonny and I ever acted with each other, or with anyone else, in any way like what you….saw… in prison? Even after you tried really hard to make both our lives miserable? We love each other Nick. I love Sonny more than I have ever loved anyone…ever. I wouldn't…take…anything from him…or from anyone…by force. And neither would Sonny. Hasn't that been made clear to you yet…by the proof of your own eyes?"**

Sonny could see that Nick's temper was abating. He decided to defuse it completely:** "Nick, if you promise to see someone…talk to them about…things…that may be bothering you…Then I will let you see Arianna Grace. Just see her…first steps and all…"**

And that brought Nick's temper way down:** "Fine. I promise to see someone."**

And so Sonny let Nick approach him and he placed the bassinet down and gently lifted Arianna Grace up so that Nick could see her. Nick began by just staring. And then tears started streaming down his face:** "She looks just like Gaby."**

Nick continued to look at Little Ari; and Sonny even allowed Nick to use his fingers to stroke her cheeks. About ten minutes passed. Most people in the room had gathered around and were also cooing and staring and smiling at Little Ari.

Nick finally took his leave and asked Will to show him to the door. Will obliged him. When Nick got to the door he snarled at Will:** "If you two breathe a word about what you think you know... to anyone…"**

Will shook his head:** "It's your problem to deal with Nick. As long as you don't interfere in my life, I won't interfere in yours."**

Nick took on a more aggressive posture: **"Oh… and…friendly warning…I'm going to do my darndest to get custody of Arianna Grace. So don't get too comfortable with her…"**

Will shook his head. He had a feeling this was coming. He shrugged and said: **"Duly noted Nick. Just so you know, I intend to do the same…and I think I have more people in my corner than you. So All I can say is…good luck with that."**

Nick left the mansion in a huff and Will turned towards the front parlour, and walked back towards his family.


	7. Chapter 7

It was now 10:00 P.M. It took a while but Sonny and Will had managed to feed, change, burp, cradle, sing, coo at, and finally, yes finally, put Little Ari to sleep. Sonny and Will were sitting on their bed. Both rather exhausted from the day.

As Sonny helped Will put the final touches on his bandage change, Will surveyed the room they will be sharing, all three of his newly made family; at least for a little while.

The room was rather large. It was NOT the room that Gabi and Nick had been sharing. Someone in the Kiriakis household had more sense than to expect either Sonny or Will to want to be reminded of Gabi, or of Nick, every time they wanted to rest.

And so, Will took in his surroundings: large room, large dresser, door to a small ensuite bathroom, door to a rather large walk in closet that was currently rather empty; there was a couch to one side with several plush chairs; a rocking chair that had been used quite effectively, just recently, to calm Little Ari down, so she could finally fall asleep.

There were night-tables on either side of a rather large bed; and at its foot was a largish old-fashioned wooden baby crib, rather ornately carved. Inside the crib was Little Ari, all snuggled up with blankets and several plush teddy-bears.

Sonny, having finished redressing Will's bandage, sat up straighter, and turned his head to look into Will's beautiful blue eyes. He sighed and let his own eyes wander trying to figure out where Will was looking. And of course he found exactly where: **"She is beautiful, isn't she Will? She looks so much like you, it's almost frightening."**

Will slowly turned his head to look at Sonny, who was still looking in the direction of the crib: **"I think she looks like Gabi…" **Swirling emotions caught in his throat. His eyes started to well up. Sonny immediately turned his attention to Will. He grabbed both sides of Will's head with his hands and kissed him gently on the lips.

Will took the opportunity to reach for Sonny's hands pulling himself closer. His tongue sprang out, piercing through Sonny's lips and finding Sonny's tongue. They both simultaneously let out moans.

A sound can from the crib, causing the two lovers to stop what they were doing. Sonny bent his head towards the crib, to a look at a still sleeping Arianna Grace and then turned himself around to continue what he had started with Will: **"I love you so much Will", **he whispered.

Will put a hand on Sonny's chest with enough pressure to stop Sonny from going forward: **"I love you too, Sonny, so much. But maybe we shouldn't do this in front of the baby."**

Sonny smiled, seeing Will's slightly worried expression:** "Will, babe, the baby is sleeping…" **They both heard another little whimper**, "Besides, Arianna Grace won't know what we are doing…"**

Will smiled at Sonny, after yet another little whimper coming from the crib: **"Sonny, maybe we should wait till she is more asleep. It will give us more time to become comfortable with all this."**

Sonny, looking into Will's brilliantly blue eyes, said:** "You're right, Will. Besides, maybe we should take this opportunity to talk about things."**

Sonny quickly continued to speak, especially after seeing Will's eyes express a quick flash of worry:** "Will, there is a little baby in a crib close to us. We haven't really had a chance to talk about the future, but maybe we should take some time and do that now."**

Will looked a little confused: **"But we've discussed about finding a place, getting my name on the birth certificate, fighting Nick for custody, if we have to…"**

Sonny touched Will's face very gently and smiled at him. Sonny tried very hard to convey to Will, all his love and compassion, as he said: **"Yes we have Will, and these are really good starting points. But you've given me and others the impression that you'll be staying home with Arianna Grace and…."**

Will couldn't help but jump the gun; he brushed away Sonny's hand, and he said with a little too much force:** "Well of course I am!" **After hearing another little whimper from the crib he calmed down and whispered: **"Who else is going to stay with her. You have Common Grounds to manage…I am the expendable one."**

Sonny again brought a hand to Will's face:** "That is where you are dead wrong Will. You are not expendable. Neither one of us is. You and I both have exams in a week. We need to find out what our options are. But if one of us has to forgo his semester, I would like that person to be me, and not you."**

Sonny could see that Will was getting upset; and Will was. Sonny's hand was again brushed away; this time a little more forcefully. Will was trying desperately to keep his emotions in check, as well as the volume of his voice:** "Sonny, I know that Gabi made you Arianna Grace's legal guardian, and I only have myself to blame for that.."**

Sonny interrupted Will:** "Nick is to blame for that.." **and then Will interrupted Sonny: **"Only because I gave him ammunition. If It weren't for my…" **And just as quickly Sonny interrupted Will again: **"No Will. You are not to blame. Look, babe, I know that you are trying to do the right thing. I know you love Little Ari. I know you want to be responsible; but Will, you are eighteen…"**

And this time Sonny was stopped, not by Will interrupting him, but by Will's silence. It was deafening. Will's body was rigid. His beautiful blues eyes became smoky; his facial features were tense. Sonny stopped talking, in order to diffuse what looked like a volatile moment. He let Will express himself. He gave Will time to collect his thoughts. It wasn't easy for Sonny to do that, but he did.

Finally Will spoke, his voice trying to sound calm, but it obviously wasn't: **"Sonny, I know you love me. But you are starting to sound like my Dad. I have enough dads and step-dads to be going on with. I don't need another one…"**

And this time, it was Will who stopped talking. He was looking at Sonny as he was talking and getting a bit angry, and he noticed something in Sonny; understanding; understanding and compassion, with so much love thrown in the mix it almost hurt Will to look at it. And so, it was Will who stopped talking. He waited with bated breath to hear what Sonny had to say.

**"Will, Babe, I wasn't trying to treat you like a child; just the opposite. I am only twenty-one Will, and I am new at this too. This is going to be hard, for both of us. I wanted us to try to do this without help; but maybe we both need advice from someone…wiser."**

They discussed this very possibility for a few minutes and concluded that they would ask someone tomorrow for their opinion; most likely Marlena. But they needed to have a plan; to have some ground work done; some discussion before that encounter.

To that end Sonny continued the discussion. His hand went to Will's chin and he leaned in and kissed Will, before saying:** "Babe, what I wanted to say earlier was that we need to think long-term. I know you feel guilty about all this. I know you feel the need to be responsible for Little Ari; and the feeling responsible part, at least, is good; it's really good Will; but quitting school can't be the answer. We can find a way to take care of our little girl without you jeopardizing your future by quitting school; because it isn't just your future that you would be jeopardizing, is it?"**

Will was dumbfounded. He regarded Sonny in a new light. He realized that he was letting his grief and guilt guide him; trying to find a quick fix; but there wasn't one. Both he and Sonny needed to get things right, from the get go. And so Sonny had been right. That of course wasn't the astounding part. Sonny had been right all along and yet hadn't tried to bully Will. And Will knew that Sonny wouldn't say an I-told-you-so.

They calmly came up with a plan that they knew would have to be tweaked, quite a bit. They would have to compromise. But both knew that they could. And that they would. They would make this work.

It was getting late and both Will and Sonny were very tired. They decided to cuddle in bed and prepare for sleep. Will saw Sonny set the alarm for 2:00 a.m. He smiled and said:** "Sonny, do you not remember that you made me promise to take the 2:00 a.m. feedings?"**

Sonny reminded Will that he had been shot and operated on, not too long ago. So perhaps Will could owe him... but for now…

Suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door. It opened and Adrienne walked in. She strolled up to the alarm clock, picked it up and adjusted it. And before either Sonny or Will could react she said:** "Sonny, I'm sure you reminded Will that he should rest; that he was shot and operated on. So I am here to remind you, because I'm sure Will would, if he knew, that you have had maybe six hours sleep in the last forty-eight hours. You need your rest."**

Adrienne then put on her best mother expression and stood with her best mother posture, and before either young man could react, she said:** "And let me remind both of you, that you are not alone in this. There is a bus load of people in this house that is willing to help. You need to let us. I will be taking the 2:00 a.m. feeding. I'm sure I will wake you. But you will let me do this. Please.'**

Adrienne left the room, leaving two rather dumbfounded young men to shake it off, smile at each other, kiss and cuddle each other; say **"I love you" **to one another; and sleep till the early morning; but much later than 2:00 a.m. Neither one of them was ready to argue with Adrienne, at least not yet.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day started off with a bang. Okay, not really a bang, more like a cry; a very loud baby's cry coming from the foot of the bed.

Both Sonny and Will jumped up at the same time landing on opposite sides of the bed. Sonny's landing was a lot softer than Will's. Will landed on his bad leg and with a cry of pain, went off-balance and landed on his back, on the bed.

Sonny looked at Will, smiled and said: **"You know, if you keep doing that, you'll do some permanent damage to that gorgeous leg of yours."** Will glared back at Sonny, partly because he was in pain, and partly because he was annoyed that Sonny was right, again.

Sonny went to the crib, and looked at a screaming Arianna: **"Hey there Little Ari? What's up with you, huh? Are you hungry? Are you wet? Or are you just lonely?"**

Sonny picked Arianna Grace and brought her diaper to his nose and smelled: **"Ohhhhh, Little Ari needs a change, yes she does…." **He walked over to the changing table to start the process, looked towards Will, and noticed that Will had maneuvered himself to his feet again, this time without hurting himself and was heading in the direction of the fridge in order to get a bottle.

Sonny and Will were so deeply concentrating on their respective tasks that they did not notice Adrienne and Justin walk into the room, just in time to witness the two young men at work. Sonny was in the in the process on putting a fresh baby jumpsuit on her, and Will was testing the bottle on the inside of his lower arm to make sure the formula wasn't too warm. All the while poor Arianna Grace was fussing.

Sonny wrapped Little Ari in a blanket, cradled her in his arms and extended one arm to take hold of the bottle that Will should have been presenting. Will had other ideas; he positioned himself to Sonny's side, opposite Arianna Grace's head, put an arm around Sonny and extended his other arm in order to place the nipple of the bottle in Arianna Grace's mouth.

Arianna Grace stopped fussing and an incredible sucking sound escaped her lips. Sonny turned his head towards Will who promptly sought Sonny's lips with his own.

Their attention was diverted by an **"Ahhhhhhhhh"** sound from Adrienne and from Justin saying: **"You three are way too cute together. How are you this fine morning?"**

Sonny and Will finished their kiss, and while Will concentrated on Arianna Grace, Sonny responded to his father saying:** "We are great actually. Please say thank you to everyone who helped out last night. Both Will and I actually got some sleep."**

Adrienne smiled and came forward to coo at her grand-daughter while saying: **"It was a pleasure sweetheart. I'll relay the message. Now…"** And Adrienne once again adopted a motherly pose, "…**It will be up to you both…but please remember that there is another crib set up in the room next door. When you are comfortable with leaving the little sweetheart alone…with a baby monitor of course, we'll still keep up the schedule and you'll really be able to sleep, without all the interruptions…"**

Justin and Adrienne both witnessed Sonny and Will simply look at each other. They seemed to stare at one other, transmitting each other's sentiments and feelings about the issue at hand with simple facial gestures, such as a slightly lifting of the eyebrows. It was Will who turned to Adrienne and said: **"Adrienne, thank you very much for the offer, but if it's okay, we'd like Little Ari to stay with us at night…for the time being."**

Adrienne smiled. She could also feel her husband smiling. They both had witnessed and understood the close bond that Will and Sonny had developed, even more than usual, since Arianna Grace had come into their lives. It was like Sonny and Will read the other's mind. It was rather amazing to watch.

**"Okay, you boys; once Arianna is fed, I will take over. You both have a full schedule today. You need to go downstairs and eat something, and then it's off to your appointments. I am assuming you'll want Arianna Grace with you?"**

Again, Adrienne and Justin witnessed the silent communication. This time both Sonny and Will simultaneously said: **"Of course".**

After the hand-over of Little Ari to Adrienne, Sonny and Will made quick work of breakfast. They went back to the room, got changed, picked up Arianna who was placed in her bassinet, and started their day with their first appointment.

That appointment was at Salem General, and more specifically, in the administration office. The results of the DNA test were available. The hospital's administrators also prepared the birth certificate paperwork.

The DNA test was handed to Sonny, since he was the one that officially requested the test. He smiled and handed the test to Will who also smiled. It wasn't a surprise. When the administrator handed the birth certificate to Sonny, he waved it off: **"I'd like Will to be the first one to see that, if you don't mind."**

The administrator, a Mr. Franklin, handed Will the certificate. Wills eyes started to water. Under 'Mother's Name' was Gaby's and under Father's Name' was Will's. But that wasn't what caused the tears to begin to form in his beautiful, yet now-cloudy blue eyes.

At the top was little Ari's name: Arianna Grace Gabriella Horton. Will was shocked to see Gabi's name not only listed as the mother of the child, but also as an intricate part of Little Ari's name. Gabi will always be an intricate part of Little Ari, and the name change was a simple symbolic representation of that fact.

Will turned his watery eyes towards Sonny and leaned in and kissed Sonny gently on the lips. His face then sparkled with a wide and genuine smile. But then he frowned. Sonny was taken aback: **"What's wrong, Will?"** he said.

Will looked Sonny deeply in the eyes and said: **"The last name is wrong. It should read Kiriakis. You are her legal guardian Sonny. The birth certificate should reflect that."**

Sonny smiled at Will, his own brown eyes starting to water, just a little bit:** "Thank you for that Will, but as Mr. Franklin can tell you, my status as legal guardian isn't like an adoption. The birth certificate should reflect Arianna Grace's parentage, at least for now."**

Will nodded to Sonny, registering what Sonny had said: **"Sonny, we have a lot to talk about when we get home."**

They both signed the birth certificate and lead Arianna Grace out of the hospital's administrative offices. She was beginning to fuss again, so they stopped at a restroom and changed her diaper; and then stopped at the Brady Pub to feed her and themselves.

The staff, including Grandma Caroline, was all over them when they walked in; cooing at the baby and congratulating them. Grandma Caroline, teary-eyed, expressed to Will and to Sonny how proud she was of both of them; she also expressed her condolences in regards to Gabi: **"I always had a soft spot for that girl."** She said.

In the midst of eating, a rather well-dressed stranger walked into the Pub, spotted the two boys and walked directly to them: **"Excuse me, are you Mr. Jackson Kiriakis and Mr. William Horton?"**

Then both nodded and then were handed an envelope each: **"You've been served"** said the man and then he walked off.

They opened their respective letters. They were both notices of summons to appear at Family Court. Nick Fallon was suing for full custody of Arianna Grace. The date of the summons was tomorrow.

Now you would think that the shock of the summons and the timing would have sent one or both these young men into a maddened fit of rage. But it didn't. Getting mad wouldn't really serve a purpose; not here and not now. Sonny and Will both looked at each other, and they both sighed. Will spoke for the both of them: **"Just one more thing to discuss when we get home."**

Their final appointment was with the Dean of Students. Dr. Longforth was a rather stern-looking woman in her mid-fifties. She had had a rather distinctive career, up until then. As Dean of Students she was highly regarded; most students considered her kind, thoughtful and very attune and accommodating to student issues. She had been Dean of Students for five years now, and she thought she had seen everything.

She looked at the two young men in front of her, one of whom, the rather strikingly handsome blond one, was holding a little baby in his arms, trying to calm the fussy baby down; and succeeding quite remarkably, she noticed. She realized that this was a first. Mind you, this wasn't the first baby that was brought to her office; nor was this the first tragic circumstance with which she had to deal. These two were, however, the first same-sex couple with child, a new-born even, that were requesting an exam exemption; not only because of bereavement but also because of early unforeseen delivery of the child.

What made this situation exceptional was that these two were not legally a couple. The Dean usually dealt with one bereft new parent, not two. The rules, put simply, were rather fuzzy in dealing with this particular situation.

She noticed that Jackson Kiriakis, the rather strikingly handsome dark-haired one, seemed calm, explained the situation with precision, and a remarkable detachment; yet every once in a while he would look at Will Horton and the little one, and his eyes would mist.

The Dean noticed that Will Horton was allowing Sonny to communicate their shared situation to her, without interrupting. Will Horton trusted Sonny Kiriakis; that was plain to see.

The Dean could tell that these two young men loved one another very much. Her eyes became misty as she realized how difficult their lives were going to be for the next while. Sonny had explained everything: the circumstances of Arianna Grace's arrival, the pending custody battle, the fact that they had the support of both sides of their little family; which was very important.

She wanted to do all she could to help them along. Their grades had not been exceptional, but more than adequate; the e-mails she received from both students' professors made it clear that the professors were willing to help these two out in any way they could, even Will Horton's Calculus professor.

And so, the Dean gave them both exam exceptions for all their courses. She requested that they limit their course load for the time being; she even suggested they should think of taking a semester off, with no penalty. She wanted to offer them student housing, but was unable to do so since their union wasn't legal. She hinted that perhaps they might think about that.

After hearing all this, Sonny and Will looked at one another; Will leaned in, still holding Arianna and presented his lips to Sonny, who quickly covered them with his own. They both thanked the Dean and as they stood up to leave Will simply said: **"Dean Longforth, thank you again; you have given us both so much to think about."**


	9. Chapter 9

That evening, because of recent events, mostly those that happened earlier that day, Will and Sonny called a family meeting. Key members of Will's family, and Sonny's, were invited. They included: Sami and Lucas, Adrienne and Justin, Marlena and Kate, as well as Victor and Maggie and Hope. They would have the meeting, and if things went well, those that didn't kill each other, would be invited to a dinner that would be served afterwards.

Sonny and Will basically drew lots and Sonny 'won' the privilege of presiding over the meeting. And so he called everyone to order and explained a few ground rules, which included no shouting, and that Will and Sonny would have the final decision on any of the topics; but he also explained that he and Will needed advice and lots of it. **"We may not take all the advice given, so I hope you all can respect that. If you think that you can't please leave now. Will and I would like to thank in advance all those that do stay, for their advice and support."**

To Will's and Sonny's surprise, everyone agreed, and so the meeting continued with all present.

A few announcements were made, including the result of the paternity test and that the birth certificate would list Will as the father of Little Ari. The next item on the agenda was living arrangements.

There was some grumbling about not having enough access to Arianna Grace, mostly from Sami and Lucas, and that they felt uncomfortable having to come to the Kiriakis Mansion to see their granddaughter, but in the end, everyone agreed that the Kiriakis Mansion was the best solution, temporarily.

Will and Sonny announced that they had started looking for a suitable apartment, but hadn't found one yet; but that Will especially would be stepping up the search. It was Justin that interrupted Sonny to announce to him and Will that most of the people in this room and some that were not present had pulled their resources together and created a fund so that Will and Sonny could buy a house: **"So Will, you may want to concentrate on that instead. And you can refuse the money if you like, but if I were you I'd just smile and take it."**

Will and Sonny both looked at each other and both noticed that the other had developed a slight moisture problem in the eyes. They both started to stutter and couldn't get any words out finally Will managed to say: **"But we can't accept that…I don't know what to say…"** Sonny couldn't help but finish Will's thought with: **"Except thank you…"**

It was Kate that spoke up for the rest of the group: **"You both have far too many things to think about. You have a baby to take care of. And, luckily for you, you both have people in your lives that can afford to help you…"**

Uncle Vic continued:** "You won't be able to afford a house like this one…But I'm sure you'll find something to suit your needs"**

Will looked at Sonny and said: **"All we really need is each other…"**

The next big topic that the group tackled was the notice to appear in family court. Some in the group, such as Justin, had been informed about this beforehand, and so, those that knew did not really react. Sami and Kate, and to Sonny and Will's great surprise, Victor, did not know and all three had very strong reactions.

Kate's reaction was a simple shouting of: **"Damn that Nick!"**

Victor's reaction was to slam his fist on the wall next to him and shout: **"Damn that nephew of yours Maggie. Nobody goes after a Kiriakis! Nobody!" **Maggie was a bit shy about all this. She loved Nick but she also loved Will and Sonny. She had seen Will and Sonny with Little Ari and knew that they would make excellent parents; but she also could see where her nephew Nick was coming from.

Will and Sonny could only smile at Victor's reaction. Will looked inquisitively at Sonny's Great-uncle Vic; and upon seeing Will's reaction Victor simply said: **"Will, you are a part of the Kiriakis family, whether Sonny is the legal guardian of Arianna Grace or not. Sonny loves you and that makes you a Kiriakis in my book. We'll fight this."**

Sami's reaction was the most predictable: **"That bastard! Why is he doing this? It's not as if he can take care of Arianna Grace from prison!"**

Hope answered Sami's outburst with: **"Sami, Nick won't be going to jail. He has agreed to give state's evidence against some very shady characters in exchange for leniency."**

Sami was now even more upset. She shouted even louder, and started to wail against Hope: **"How is that even possible! How could you let that happen? He shot my son! He is guilty of blackmail and extortion! And he is ultimately responsible for his own wife's death! Gabi would still be alive if not for his actions! He should get twenty years! And you are letting him go free?!"**

Justin stepped forward and got Sami's attention. He let her calm down and then he said: **"It gets worse."** Sami was incredulous: **"What could possibly be worse than this?"**

Justin explained that he tried contacting the judge in family court to inquire as to the rush in proceedings. He was told that the reasons could not be discussed; Justin was only told that it was unavoidable.

Questions were being asked all around, mostly by Sami and Kate. Justin simply lifted his hand to indicate that he wasn't finished explaining and continued: **"The only explanation that I could come up with is that Nick is entering witness protection and plans on taking Arianna Grace with him."**

That explanation brought on another round of verbal diarrhea from Kate and Sami. As both women exploded and most people were forced to calm them down, Will went off into a corner to remain calm and think things through. There was one more thing that Will wanted to do.

He had been thinking about this for quite a while now; and as he noticed his mother and grandmother freaking out, and how Sonny was handling them, in his usual calm yet forceful manner, just one of the many things about Sonny that Will found exceedingly sexy, he made his mind up.

He stepped back into the fray, took a deep breath and said rather loudly, but trying to not to sound as if he were shouting:** "Mom, Grandma Kate, please calm down! I have something to say…"**

It took several minutes for Will's mother and grandmother to do what he asked of them, but they finally did.

Will took a deep breath and walked over to Sonny. He grabbed each of Sonny's hands with one of his own, and took another deep breath.

He tried to forget about everyone else in this room. No one in the room mattered right now except for Sonny, especially since Little Ari was upstairs sleeping inhis her crib.

Will took yet another deep breath and caught Sonny's gaze, and with a smile Will began to tell Sonny a story.

He told Sonny that from the very moment that he and Sonny met, Will knew that Sonny was special to him. As time went by and with Sonny's help, along with his grandmother Marlena's, Will found the courage to accept who he was. There were ups and downs, rocky starts and sudden yet quickly restarted stops along the way, but finally Will also admitted his deep and pure feelings for Sonny.

The day Sonny first told Will that he loved Will, even though Will first heard it from his father, was one of the happiest days of Will's Life.

Will went on to tell Sonny that he couldn't believe that he got to be with someone so thoughtful, so compassionate, so responsible and so forgiving as Sonny was. Will was amazed and grateful that Gabi had finally seen what Will saw in Sonny and that her last act was to give Sonny legal responsibility of her daughter.

Will told Sonny that he was so immensely proud to have witnessed and experienced Sonny's unconditional love for his daughter; because it was the right thing to do; because Little Ari was Will's, and Will knew without a shadow of any doubt whatsoever that Sonny loved Will; and that Sonny loved Arianna Grace.

Will told Sonny that several people they had met today were sure that Sonny and Will were meant to be together; that their love would be enough. That they could succeed because they had each other; total strangers had noticed that. So that must be a sign.

Will breathed in another deep breath and smiled a glorious smile, his eyes twinkling with the anticipation of what he was about to say next.

**"I don't know if I will ever deserve you, or be good enough for you, Sonny. But I do know that I love you with all my heart and soul. I know that my daughter deserves to have you as a father; and I will try my hardest to deserve to have someone as good as you to share my life forever.**

**I know that we are both young. But I also know that I will never find anyone like you ever, anywhere. And since we have both made a commitment to Arianna Grace to be her fathers, I think it only fitting that her fathers make a commitment to each other. Don't you Sonny?"**

Will then went to one knee and looked up to Sonny to catch his gaze again; he smiled and said:** "Jackson Kiriakis, will you marry me?"**

**A/N : To be continued...obviously :-)**


	10. Chapter 10

When Will took Sonny by the hands and spoke from his heart, in front of his family and Sonny's; and in a way that Sonny knew Will was far from comfortable doing, Sonny was moved; emotionally moved.

When Will went to one knee it was enough to bring tears to Sonny's eyes. All the more so because Sonny had a surprise for Will. And so, that is why when Will asked:** "Jackson Kiriakis, will you marry me?" **Sonny, even though he was so happy in that moment, managed to calm down and say in as calm a voice as he could:** "Will, I'm not sure I can…"**

That brought on the expected reaction from Will, and from the members of the family that were gathered around them. And thankfully, Sami and Kate didn't react too strongly; but Sonny did here a couple of screeched-out **"What!"'s **from the peanut gallery.

Will stood up from his kneeling position like a shot. There was shock written all across his face. Before there could be hurt and pain as well, Sonny quickly said two little words:** "No rings".**

This got Will to stammering a little. He hadn't actually planned this out. He had thought about marrying Sonny, for a while. They had even talked about it. But the asking, especially today, that was not planned.

Sonny could see emotions racing across Will's face. And when Sonny detected Will thinking that he might have blown it; and simply because of a lack of planning, that is when Sonny sprung:

**"Thankfully for us Will, I actually got something here, in my pocket."**

And Sonny pulled out a ring box and handed it to Will, who opened it. Inside were two rings; made of different coloured gold; the colours of the pride flag. The rings were so simple, and yet so meaningful.

**"The one on the right is mine. Now ask me again Will."**

Will was speechless, the rings were beautiful. Of course it would be Sonny that came prepared, even for a spontaneous gesture from his Will. He looked up into Sonny's beautiful face, and stared into Sonny's endlessly chocolate eyes and said:** "Sonny, when did you get these?"**

Sonny only smiled and whispered pleadingly:** "Will, I'll tell you later…please ask me your question again…"**

Will smiled, his face lit up, his blue eyes sparkling:** "Sonny, you jerk…"**

That spontaneous little jibe brought laughter and tears to everyone who were now mesmerized by the sight of these two young men.

**"…will you marry me?"**

Sonny presented his left hand to Will, who promptly put Sonny's ring on Sonny's finger. With damp eyes, and a humorous tone Sonny said:** "Of course I'll marry you Will…on one condition…"**

Sonny could see Will's face contort in a not-again-you-jerk funny face, as he bent to one knee and presented Will's ring to him.

Sonny began to tell Will a story, in his turn. Sonny told Will that he too felt a connection the first time they met. But for Sonny, it grew to be much more. Sonny realized that Will would not be able to return his feelings, but that didn't matter. Sonny loved Will, and that wasn't going to change. It would be hard to only be friends but that was something Sonny was prepared to do, and be.

But then Sonny noticed that Will was grappling with something. He wasn't sure what it was at first. He only wanted to be there for Will, in any way that he could. But then Will started opening up, little by little; letting out hints as to what was wrong; asking questions.

It became abundantly clear to Sonny what was happening. He had gone through something similar. And he so wanted to help.

**"But the hardest part for me, Will, was knowing that I loved you, and seeing you in pain, and having to let you go through that pain, because it was what would lead you to where you needed to go. But it killed me inside."**

As tears welled up in both Will's and Sonny's eyes, Sonny continued to tell his story.

Sonny was ecstatic when Will came out to him; first when Will said he was gay; then when Will said that he liked Sonny, and wanted to be more than friends; and then when Will said those three words that formed Sonny's heart forever: I Love You.

**"Will, you've made some bad choices. Some of them were real doozies; and all because you didn't trust in yourself, in me, and in us, enough. But I know that you've changed; you've grown. We've grown together. And most of those bad choices actually turned out for the better. One of them is sleeping soundly in her room upstairs…"**

Sonny turned his attention to the crowd of family that were now in the midst of smiles and tears and said:** "Speaking of which, could somebody please go check on Little Ari?"**

He turned his attention back to Will and continued his story. He explained to Will that there were some who had come to him and told him that he should break it off; that Will would lead Sonny to a life that he didn't want or that he wasn't ready for. And it's true that not too long ago Sonny was adamant that he didn't want kids until he was forty; if at all. He wanted someone to share adventures with, like climbing mountains and sky diving and camping.

But sometimes things change. Your wishes and dreams change because life changes them; and mostly it is the people in one's life that changes them.

**"Will, you once heard someone say they didn't think you were good enough for me. You yourself believe that. I know you still do. I want to say to you… Babe…that I have been the judge of that; and I have decided that you are."**

Sonny breathed in. He looked at Will, taking in the happiness that both of them were experiencing together. He had one last thing to say before he too would pop the question:

**"Will, you asking me to marry you, was what I was waiting for. I had the rings made the very next day after I read that letter and realized that we could never be just friends. And I knew you would ask me eventually, spontaneously, like you just did. And I wanted to be prepared."**

Sonny breathed in yet again, a calm serenity enveloping him as he stated**: "I'll marry you William Horton; if you would also do me the honour of marrying me."**

As a response, Will fell to his knees with his hand outstretched. Sonny put the remaining ring on Will's finger, and it fit perfectly. Will grabbed Sonny's head, and without thinking of the other's around him, slammed his lips to Sonny's; and they kissed, a rather passionate kiss, for what seemed like a rather long time.

Eventually Sonny and Will released their grips on each other. It probably helped a little that they kept hearing someone clearing their throat periodically. It was quite distracting. They both looked towards the sound and saw Victor Kiriakis smiling. He cleared his throat once again and said in his customary authoritarian voice:

**"Good, now that I have everyone's attention, I would like to invite all present to join me in the dining room. It appears that we have something to celebrate."**

Sonny and Will received congratulations from everyone that was there. There was a notable exception. Adrienne was nowhere to be seen. Sonny wondered where his mother might have gone and then it hit him. She had gone to look after Little Ari.

He climbed the stairs and went to his daughter's day room. He still surprised himself whenever he thought of Arianna Grace as HIS daughter, but she was, and always will be; his and Will's.

Sure enough, as he entered the room, he saw his mother putting Little Ari back into her crib. His mother had been crying; he could tell. Sonny cleared his throat to get her attention. It worked. Adrienne finished putting the baby down and walked towards Sonny and hugged him.

**"Mom…what has gotten into you? Please tell me these are happy tears"**

Adrienne let go of her son and looked at him, remembering him as he was at Little Ari's age. But he wasn't her age anymore, was he…no.

**"I wish I could, Sonny. But I can't. You are too young for all this. What was Gabi thinking, making you responsible for Arianna? And now you and Will propose to each other? What happens tomorrow if Nick gets custody? And why should it be your responsibility?"**

**"It shouldn't." **Was the response; but not from Sonny. Adrienne stepped back and saw Will in the corridor.

**"I made the mistakes, and your son is paying for them, Mrs. Kiriakis. I am really sorry. If I were brave enough, even though I love him with all my heart, I would find a way to release him; even drive him away. Force him to lead a happy life without me. But I'm not…I'm so sorry."**

Adrienne looked at Will, who just minutes ago seemed so happy and now he just looked…dejected. She looked at Sonny, who was looking at her, slightly angry, and she mouthed to him: **"I'll fix this."**

She went to Will and put her arms around him; hugging him to her.

**"Will, sweetheart. I wasn't finished... I do wish that Sonny's life were less complicated. But Sonny said something before I came upstairs, about you making bad choices but most of them turning out for the good. And he was right. Arianna Grace is perfect. And she is here. And Nick wants to take her away from you both… And that was why I was crying. And Will…neither Sonny nor you should have to shoulder the responsibility for Nick's vendetta against you. That is what I meant."**

She lifted Will's face and felt Sonny's arms wrap around her and Will both.

**"Will, I know I've been tough on you in the past. But you are family now and family sticks together. Now let's compose ourselves and go downstairs. I believe there is a celebration happening."**

Adrienne ducked back into the room and grabbed a baby monitor. She walked back to her boys and said to Will:** "Oh Will, by the way…if you call me Mrs. Kiriakis again, I may have to deck you."**

Sonny hung back to let his mother put a motherly arm around his fiancé, as they walked down the stair to the dining room. He was all smiles.


	11. Chapter 11

Sonny and Will had bundled up Arianna Grace, and with Adrienne, Justin, Sami, Lucas and Marlena in tow, they traveled to the Salem County courthouse, where they now were waiting patiently for the presiding judge to arrive.

On the other side of the courtroom sat Nick Fallon and his lawyer. In the back row were his Aunt Maggie and Hope. Sonny thought that Aunt Maggie being on Nick's side wasn't a stretch, it was even expected; but Hope being there was a bit of a surprise.

Nick seemed very calm, unusually calm, even for him. He also seemed really cocky, more cocky than usual; if that were even possible. Sonny did not think this was a good sign, not at all. He was about to mention this to his dad; but when he turned to speak to him, he registered in his dad's face a mixture of curiosity, anxiety and annoyance. Sonny turned his attention to Will, since he was pretty sure his dad had noticed Nick, just as he did.

Will wasn't faring nearly as well as Nick was. A complete nervous wreck would not be in any way an exaggeration. Will was fidgeting; his leg was shaking in that young-male-adult nervous-tick kind of way.

Will was trying to distract himself by distracting Little Ari, who was very much awake and alert. Sonny smiled and was about to turn to his dad, happy in the fact Will hadn't noticed Nick yet, when Will suddenly turned to Sonny and said: **"Sonny, Nick looks way too calm. I'm getting nervous, because he isn't."**

Sonny smiled at Will and said:** "Relax Will. Don't worry. My dad has everything under control." **The problem with that statement was that Sonny wasn't exactly telling the truth. His father looked worried. A normal person, such as Will, wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Justin Kiriakis took pride in the fact that he looked the consummate calm professional at most times. Sonny however, was Justin's son. And Sonny's father looked worried; that made Sonny worry. But Sonny rationalized that a worried Justin Kiriakis wasn't necessarily a Justin Kiriakis not in control. So what he told Will wasn't a lie. He hoped.

Will turned around to observe his support group. They all seemed as anxious as he was. Adrienne smiled at him; his mother was glaring at Hope and Maggie. Marlena Smiled at him. She seemed the calmest of everyone here.

Arianna Grace started making gurgling noises, so he brought back his attention to her. He loved Little Ari so much. He didn't know how he would be able to go on if he lost her today. Everyone he talked to seemed to think that Nick didn't have a chance; that this desperate attempt of his was not going to work. Will, ever the realist, wasn't counting on a happy ending, although he did wish for one, with every breath he took.

The room went silent and the judge walked in and was introduced by the clerk: **"Judge Harold McFeely presiding**".

Sonny did not miss the sneer that the judge gave his side of the courtroom. When he looked towards Nick Fallon he gave him what Sonny could only describe as a conspiratorial smile. This definitely did not bode well.

From the very beginning it was clear that the judge was not on Will and Sonny's side. Firstly, Justin called for a continuance based on the fact that as the attorney he had less than a day to prepare a case. That was denied, with no explanation. When Justin pushed for one, the judge simply cited extenuating circumstances.

Secondly, the document pertaining to Will's abdicating his rights to his child was presented. Justin stood up and said that this document was obtained by coercion and therefore invalid. The judge disagreed. However, when the document pertaining to Sonny's rights as legal guardian was presented, the opposition counsel used the same argument that Justin had used. This time the judge agreed that just the perception of coercion and impropriety on behalf of the hospital lawyers was enough to make the document invalid.

And that being the case, guardianship fell to Gabi's nearest next of kin. And that of course was Nick, since Rafe was still in a coma and none of Gabi's other relatives were available.. The baby needed to be handed over forthwith. No questions or arguments. And when Justin brought up the issue of Nick's suitability and fitness as a parent, the judge dismissed that as irrelevant since there were no other options.

And that was that. There were no calls for witnesses allowed. The bailiff simply came to Will and grabbed the bassinet with Little Ari in it, and brought it to Nick. Will and Sonny would not be allowed even to say goodbye. Nick took the baby, stood up and sneered at Will and Sonny, and left the courtroom accompanied by Hope. The whole process was over in less than twenty minutes. This was unprecedented.

Will was so shocked he simply sat in his chair, silent and still. Justin was still arguing with the judge who was threatening to find Justin in contempt. Eventually the judge simply stood up and left the courtroom.

Sami and Kate had gone ballistic. Shouting and raving insults at Nick who was no longer even there. Both women came forward to console Will but were stopped by Justin who indicated that what Will needed right now was calm. He indicated that if the two women were unable to do that they should leave the courtroom immediately. Will would have enough trouble keeping calm as it is.

In response to that Will suddenly stood up. He turned to face everyone. That seemed to calm Kate and Sami for some reason. They might have thought that Will would shout and rage, so that they wouldn't have to. But that did not happen.

Will simply went up to Adrienne, his shoulders slumped and head down and said: **"You were right Mrs. Kiriakis. Even the judge didn't take long to realize that I was no good. I'm not good enough to be Arianna Grace's father. And I'm definitely not good enough to marry your son."**

Will was in the process of taking off his engagement ring with the intention of handing it over to her, so she could give it to Sonny, when a hand stopped him. The hand belonged to Adrienne.

As Sami and Kate started throwing insults towards Adrienne for telling Will he wasn't good enough for Sonny, they were again stunned into silence. Adrienne used her other hand to lift Will's chin up, and forced him to look her in the eyes. She then gently tapped his face, as a comforting smile grew upon her hers:** "That was for calling me Mrs. Kiriakis, Will. My name is Adrienne."**

Adrienne could see Will's face contort in confusion, mixed with the shock that was still plainly visible; even those emotions could not destroy the beauty in Will's features. Adrienne smiled more widely and said:** "Will what happened here wasn't your fault. This was obviously a setup. I was afraid this would happen. "**

She gently tilted her head and continued:** "And as for you and my son…Will, my son loves you. And this terrible thing just happened. He needs you right now. And you need him…Do you really want to break his heart…again?"**

At that moment it dawned on Will that he did not know where his fiancé was. Another brief emotional flash of inadequacy touched upon his face; but in response to Adrienne's comment, Will simply shook his head and turned to find out where Sonny was.

Sonny had not moved from his seat. He felt only numbness, and it showed. He was eerily still. There was no expression on his face, except perhaps the beginnings of what could only be described as becoming distraught.

Will sat down beside Sonny and put an arm around him. Will expected Sonny to either push Will's arm away in disgust or start to wail at him; or perhaps even throw his arms around Will and cry. But none of that happened. Sonny remained still.

Will felt so guilty that he withdrew his arm and he started to mumbled:** "I'm so sorry Sonny. It's my fault. I won't blame you if you no longer want to be with me. I ruined everything." **

As Will started to get up to leave. Sonny quickly grabbed his arm, forcing him down. Will finally was able to look Sonny in the eyes. He expected to see dislike, even hatred. He didn't. He saw…guilt? What could Sonny be guilty about?

He voiced that thought to Sonny, and Sonny replied:** "I was supposed to protect you and Arianna Grace. That is why Gabi made me Little Ari's guardian. I failed her. And I failed you. I should be the one with whom YOU want nothing to do with…"**

Justin was still fuming. He could not believe this judge would think that he could get away with this travesty of a custody proceeding. This was a joke. But Justin was not laughing. There was obviously something going on that Justin was not aware of, but he was sure as hell going to find out what it is and fix it.

Justin had noticed that Sonny had not moved from his seat and was about to go and comfort him when Will sat down beside him. Justin thought : **_"Good. They both need each other right now."_** But he was not prepared to hear both of them feeling guilty, even though it was totally normal to feel guilty in this situation.

Knowing both boys, however, having each one feeling guilty was not the best thing. They wouldn't be able to comfort each other. Both had a tendency to want to distance themselves when they felt guilt. He certainly wasn't about to let either one of them do the 'noble' thing and break things off, because they didn't want to hurt the other, or felt that they already did.

Those boys needed each other more than ever. Justin thought that he needed both boys to be strong, not just for each other, but he wanted them to fight for Arianna Grace. They both looked like they were giving up.

He decided to try and nip that undesirable scenario in the bud: **"Boys…neither one of you are to blame. I feel guilty myself for not seeing this coming. But I am not to blame. That judge is to blame and Nick Fallon is to blame. I will be rectifying that travesty of a ruling very soon. You may even have Arianna Grace back in both your arms by tonight."**

That little vestige of hope was shot down by none other than Hope herself. She had returned to the courtroom and she did not look happy. Alongside her was Maggie, and she looked disgusted. Hope spoke first: **"Justin, Sonny…Will. I'm sorry I couldn't sit with you. I was ordered to guard Nick. I still don't believe what happened."**

She went on to say that she was told by a federal prosecutor that the proceedings were not going to last long and that she was to escort Nick to two Federal Marshals afterward, which she did.

**"Nick has been taken into federal protection. He apparently struck a deal to have Arianna Grace go with him."**

Maggie then took the opportunity to speak:** "I can't believe what I heard him say…"**

Apparently she had gone with Hope and before Nick left, she pleaded with him to leave the baby with Will and Sonny. Maggie told Nick that she thought Will and Sonny would be Arianna Grace's best chance at a happy life.

And according to Maggi,e Nick would have none of it. He was adamant that Arianna Grace would be better off with him: **"He actually said that he would die rather than leave Gabi's baby, or any baby for that matter, with two faggots… I was so shocked."**

Will simply turned to Sonny and said, still shocked: **"We've lost her…haven't we…"**

Before Sonny could console Will; before Justin could say anything; before anyone else, it was Adrienne who shocked the room by the vehemence of her statement. Four little words that summed up her feelings and those of most of the people around her.

These words were: **"The hell we have."**


	12. Chapter 12

It had been two days of hell; two days without Arianna Grace. Will and Sonny were in their room at the Kiriakis mansion. All of Arianna Grace's things had been taken from the room and placed in the room beside theirs, where most of her belongings had been. Adrienne knew that the boys might not want the constant reminder. She was right but also wrong.

It had been Will that prompted Adrienne to have all of Arianna Grace's stuff moved. When everyone was moving out of the courtroom, Will had headed towards his mother. Adrienne saw him talk to Sami and saw Sami nod her head and then hug him.

Although Adrienne wasn't fond of Sami, in fact she seriously disliked her, and she still had reservations about Sami's influence on her son's and Sonny's relationship, Adrienne had witnessed Will and Sonny and Little Ari together and that gave her a new perspective. She knew how much Will loved Sonny and how much Sonny loved Will. The loss of Little Ari was not Will's fault. But she was still going to look after her son's wellbeing. In this case, that meant trying to mitigate the damage caused by Little Ari being taken away so suddenly.

Adrienne knew that Will's tendency would be to distance himself. At one point, she might have called him selfish, like his mother; but she knew better than that now. He would do that in a misguided attempt to protect Sonny.

Adrienne knew that the absence of Will is not what Sonny needed right now. She would have to convince Sami that the absence of Sonny is not what Will needed and she would have to fight Sami's instinct to protect her son and want to keep him close. The best place for Will right now was with Sonny and the best place for Sonny was with his parents.

Adrienne walked up to Sami and asked her if she could speak to her in private.

In response, Sami suggested that if the subject was about Will, he had a right to hear what was said about him. Adrienne rolled her eyes at Sami's condescending tone; but she also realized that Sami had a point. And so she turned her attention to Will and said:

**"Sweetheart, I know that when someone is hurt, it's instinct to want to go into self-preservation mode, wrap oneself in a cocoon, or ask for protection from loved ones. So it's perfectly normal for you to ask your mom if you could stay with her, because I know that is what you did."**

Adrienne went on to tell Will that she knew that Will loved Sonny, and that she knew that he still thought that distancing himself from Sonny would be better for Sonny in the long wrong. She told him that he was wrong:

**"Will, that ring on your finger is a practice ring for the one that is a symbol that you will remain with your spouse through better and through worse. You are unlikely to go through anything worse than what you went through today, and if you can get through this, together, you can handle anything."**

She tried very hard to maintain a sense of decorum because deep down she was angry at Sami for not realizing this. To just take her son and go was irresponsible. It would be easy to just use this to be rid of the whole lot of them, especially Sami. But Sonny would be devastated and she was starting to really like Will. She saw how Sonny and Will experienced Arianna Grace together, how they were starting to sync. It was breathtaking to see.

Sonny and Will needed to stay together. They needed to work through this together. Adrienne hoped that things would turn out for the good; that Little Ari would be back in her real fathers' arms. But if that didn't happen they were better off working this out together.

Adrienne took a deep breath, and addressed Sami: **"Unless you have room enough for both Sonny and Will to be together through this, I suggest you recommend to your son to come with us; because room enough we have."**

To Adrienne's great surprise Sami actually agreed; and she lovingly convinced her son that Adrienne was right; that if Will truly loved Sonny, he would go and spend time with him. And so Will did.

When Will and Sonny were brought back to the Kiriakis mansion both Adrienne and Justin could see that Sonny and Will were distant with one another. They had taken opposite sides of the car and both stared out the window. Although Sonny's parents did witness a ray of hope when Will had trouble getting up the stairs and Sonny went to his aid. They had lingered at the top of the stairs, and for some reason both young men grew misty-eyed. They hugged each other close and then moved into the front entrance.

Adrienne had told them that Little Ari's things were no longer in their room, but it still came as a shock to both Sonny and Will. They had decided to take a nap, because both of them were utterly exhausted from their courtroom experience. The room, as they both entered, seemed empty, lessened somehow by the absence of Little Ari's things.

They both seemed hesitant when each in their own time, realized that there was one bed and two persons. They smiled at each other and nervously lied down of the bed next to one another. It was Will that broke the awkward moment by saying:

**"Sonny, babe, I don't know what your expectations are, but can you please just hold me? I feel so alone right now…I need you, but I don't think I can handle…"**

Sonny did not hesitate. He maneuvered Will so he was on his side, and snuggled up to him, saying**: "Thank you Will, I'm not sure either. But please remember that I love you…so much." **At which point Will turned around and gave Sonny a light peck on the cheek and said:** "I love you too Sonny…You have no idea…" **It wasn't long until they both drifted off to sleep.

Sonny woke up several hours later and Will was gone. He didn't think much of it, until he had done the rounds of the mansion and did not find a trace of him. Will had not been to the kitchen or any of the main floor parlours. He wasn't in any of the living rooms or the TV rooms. He wasn't outside. He wasn't anywhere that anyone could verify, and that worried Sonny greatly.

Sonny eventually went back to his bedroom and laid down on the bed. Suddenly, he heard noises coming from his bedside table. It was Little Ari's baby monitor that everyone had neglected to remove from the room as well as to turn off.

Sonny went to the bedroom next door where most of Little Ari's stuff was being stored. He opened the door. And what Sonny saw astonished him. Will had lain across the floor all of Little Ari's blankets, her stuff animals and even some of her clothes. He had positioned himself so that he was stretched out and touching almost every piece of Arianna-Grace-type thing. His back was to the door. And he was softly sobbing.

Realizing that Will was crying in his sleep, Sonny was about to just let him be and leave the room, but there was something in how vulnerable Will was that made him stay. He only intended to slide in behind Will and cuddle with him; this would be comforting to Will; at least that is what Sonny hoped.

However, Will woke up, and realizing that Sonny was there, Will stiffened just a little and brought himself to his elbows. Sonny looked Will directly in the eyes, trying desperately to convey compassion and love. Will's eyes clouded through softly developing tears, as he whispered: **"I lost our baby today…I'm so sorry Sonny…please don't hate me..."**

And that is when Sonny understood. Will didn't just think he had simply lost his daughter today; he thought he had lost Sonny as well. And so Sonny bent forward, tears starting to well up in his eyes as well, as he whispered to Will, struggling very hard to keep his emotions in check, in order to say some very important words to Will:

** "Oh Will…babe…I know you're hurting…I know you blame yourself for this…In time I think you'll see that this wasn't your fault…but even if it was your fault a little…please know Will…that I love you with all my heart and soul…I always have and I always Will…I want you in my life Will…even if it is without Little Ari…but please know that I haven't even begun to fight to get her back to us…"**

When Sonny's words fully registered in Will's mind, he simply lost control. He grabbed Sonny's head. Sonny was pulled towards Will and Will embraced him fully. When their lips collided with one another, the electric spark was enough to ignite three Kiriakis mansions.

As they started tussling with each other's clothes, they both froze. They both realized, in the same moment, where they were. And doing what they were about to start doing, in amongst Little Ari's things was too much for either of them. They both sprang to their feet and went next door to their bedroom where they explored one another, interspersed with a little sleep and eating some food that was left at their doorstep by some rather relieved parents, until very late the next day.

When Will and Sonny finally decided to leave their room, they were greeted by a very smiling and cheerful Justin and Adrienne. The next day was filled with strategy meetings, phone calls, a rather tense encounter with the family judge and a federal attorney.

It was becoming very clear that the proceeding that the boys had gone through was a setup; that the judge had no intentions of awarding either Will or Sonny custody of Arianna Grace. But it was also becoming clear that getting Arianna Grace back to where she belonged was not going to be easy. Nick Fallon and Little Ari had disappeared into the witness protection program and people were very reluctant to share information.

Justin started proceedings to rescind the presiding judge's custody order on the basis that the judge's reasoning was biased. That motion was granted. A new judge was inclined to give Will and Sonny custody of Arianna Grace but there was a problem. Arianna Grace officially no longer existed, and the federal authorities were very protective of their charges. It was going to be an uphill battle to get the authorities to release Arianna Grace; although Justin was confident that they would eventually comply.

Throughout these ordeals Sonny and Will never left each other's side. In fact, they almost never let one another go. They would hold hands or hug; touch a hand to a knee, rub elbows; and in more intimate moments, which they made sure were quite frequent, they rubbed other things.

Sitting on the bed, Sonny holding Will in his arms, nestling his head in the nape of Will's neck, Sonny heard Will sigh. It was a sigh of relief, a sigh of wanting; it was not a sigh of contentment, but it was one of hope. Sonny smiled into Will's neck and whispered softly: **"We'll get her back babe. It won't be long" **

And Sonny heard Will sigh once more and the words:** "I know."**


	13. Chapter 13

The U.S. Marshals were lead into the parlour of the Kiriakis mansion. Justin, Adrienne, Victor and Maggie were there to greet them. Sonny and Will were still upstairs _'getting to know each other better'_.

Justin Kiriakis designated himself as family spokesman. He would brief his two sons, Sonny and Will, because he also thought of Will as a son, later. Will and Sonny were taking some much needed alone time together; a tradition that had kept them both energized and sane for the last two weeks.

He assumed that the Marshals were there to brief them on Arianna Grace's whereabouts since the judge's orders were very specific; the U.S. Marshal's Office was to hand over Arianna Grace Gabriela Horton, forthwith, into the custody of her legal guardian, Jackson Steven Kiriakis and her biological father William Robert Horton.

The Marshals started asking pointed questions about the whereabouts of Arianna Grace. This puzzled Justin; but he assumed this was simply one of their tactics, in order to stall giving Arianna Grace back. They had been stalling for just over two weeks now.

Justin thought over the events of the last few days and how well Sonny, and even Will had been, not just holding together, but almost thriving. There were several hearings and meetings where Sonny and/or Will and sometimes both of them, although they generally took turns, stood up and questioned various individuals directly.

At the judicial hearing, even though Will did not have any standing, he had stood up anyway and asked the judge who had given away his daughter if he had done so because Will and Sonny were gay.

Justin smiled remembering the look on the judge's face; that look of fabricated outrage that people get when they know they have been caught out in something. When the judge had finished his fake outburst, all Justin had to say was: **"Well if that is the case sir, and prejudice against my clients wasn't a factor, then it leaves only two others: greed, as in accepting a payoff; or pure incompetence. So which one is it?"**

The tribunal was not impressed with how the judge, the district attorney, the federal attorney and then the Marshals Office handled the case. It had ordered Arianna Grace back into the custody of her legal guardian. And then the Marshals Office started stalling.

Now, legitimately, they did have a point. Systems were put in place to protect individuals, and these procedures had to be followed to ensure that their charges, namely Nick Fallon, and also Arianna Grace, until she was released, remained safe. Nick Fallon would probably have to be moved again afterward and this takes time to accomplish and for which to prepare. But not two weeks.

So when Justin, and the rest of the family that were present, started being interrogated by officers; questions regarding the whereabouts of a certain Arianna Grace; a child, for whose whereabouts they themselves had been waiting to hear about; let's just say the family was not amused and rather confused. But everyone, at least so far, had not yet overreacted. Quite a few people were busily thanking God that Sami Brady wasn't there.

Will had heard the Marshals being announced, since he had taken a brief walk to the kitchens to get something to eat. He heard the Marshals starting to question his soon-to-be in-laws. He did not like the line of questioning that the Marshals were pursuing. He didn't like their tone. He didn't like this situation at all. He was now officially and thoroughly fed up with all this.

He marched into the parlour, where everyone seemed to have gathered. The Marshals and his soon-to-be in-laws seemed to be surprised to see him. Now, he was in his dressing gown and pajamas, and he was shirtless, and it was late in the afternoon, and so a little early for bed-clothes, so all that might have something to do with everyone's reaction; but Will wasn't about to let a few open-mouthed, surprised, and slack-jawed people get in the way of his tirade. He mustered all the confidence and outrage he had been keeping in check for the last two weeks:

**"You keep asking if we know where my daughter is. Well... Aren't you supposed to know? You are the ones that took my daughter away from me! You are the ones that put her in the hands of a homophobic, homicidal jackass…and now it seems you don't know where she is? WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?! Instead of wasting your time asking us questions… GO AND FIND HER!"**

When one of the marshals made the mistake of trying to intimidate Will by threatening to arrest him if he didn't start cooperating, that is when Will went on the offensive. His stance became far more authoritative than usual; his back straightened. He stepped forward, almost daring the Marshal in front of him to take a swing at him:

**"You go ahead and arrest me. The second you do, someone in this household will be phoning the judge who ruled that Little Ari belongs with us…And someone else will be phoning the press! Let's see you deal with that kind of bad press and explaining why you traded the well-being of a newborn in order to convict some head of a criminal organization...or whoever it is!"**

The Marshals were beginning to buckle but Will wasn't finished: **"And someone is going to get me Nick Fallon on the phone! He wanted to have responsibility for my little girl… and he barely lasted two weeks…"** He looked at a younger looking Marshal; strengthened his stance even more, pointed at then waved the man away as he barked out his command: **"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! CALL HIM NOW!"**

In the wake of Will's verbal and emotional onslaught, most of the U.S. Marshals scrambled to do Will's bidding. The rest of the family were quite impressed by how Will had taken control of the situation. There had been a few discussions concerning whether everyone thought if Will could cope being part of a family that was full of some rather large personalities. Will had proven that he might just be able to do that. In fact, Will's outburst even prompted Victor to lean towards his nephew Justin and proclaim: **"I think he'll do just fine. Don't you?"**

Sonny, who had been waiting patiently for Will to return with some food, heard a rather loud, angry and familiar voice and decided to investigate. He ran down the stairs to find the love of his life barking orders at some rather formidable-looking people. Needless to say, Sonny was extremely turned on by this.

Will saw Sonny running up to him. Sonny was looking rather sexy in his PJ bottoms and dressing gown. Will thought Sonny's expression, which was a combination of concern and outright lust, really rather sexy. He braced himself as Sonny collided with him and they merged together in a loving, passionate embrace. Lips colliding in a kiss that sent sparks outward towards the onlookers.

For those familiar with Will and Sonny's antics, this wasn't really any more passionate than usual; although some in the family, namely Justin, had commented that if they acted like this now, god help everyone on their honeymoon.

For strangers, this show of passion might be a tad bit intimidating; and some might find it offensive. Sonny and Will didn't care. If a man and a woman can passionately kiss one another, then they felt that so could they; and they did, a lot. But this was their home, at least for now and who were strangers to tell them how they should act in their own home?

One of the senior Marshals stared angrily at Will and Sonny while they kissed. He then got fed up and simply cleared his throat and said a little loudly: **"I will not have anyone talk to any of my agents in that manner…"**

Sonny and Will finally broke the kiss and stood back from one another, although they were still holding hands.

Sonny then brought his attention towards the arrogant agent-in-charge: **"Let me get this straight , sir…you barge in here and accuse my family of kidnapping the very person that we have been waiting patiently for your department to bring back to us…why do we need to kidnap a child that should be showing up at our door at any time?"**

The agent-in-charge pointed out to Sonny that he was unaware that a change in guardianship had occurred. Sonny shot down that idea saying that, as legal guardian to Arianna Grace, he had personally spoken to and had meetings with several members of the Marshals Office, all of whom were well aware of Arianna Grace's change in status; and that if there were miscommunications, it was their responsibility to rectify it.

Will took over the conversation after Sonny glanced at him and nodded for him to continue:

**"Now, sir, explain to me…what happened to my daughter? Why are you searching for her?"**

The Agent-in-charge sighed and explained that Nick Fallon had called in a missing person's report about an hour ago: **"Apparently, someone had snuck in to where he and his daughter…"** and there he had to backtrack his explanation because of Will's obvious annoyance at the man referring to Little Ari as Nick's daughter…"**to where YOUR daughter was sleeping and took Arianna Grace while he was napping. Nick Fallon was adamant that you took the child. He said that you threatened him…"**

At this point Justin stepped forward interrupted the agent-in-charge: **"We threatened him with a lawsuit, sir. We threatened to go to court; which we did…and we won."**

At this point, the Marshal that had been tasked by an angry Will to go and call Nick Fallon, came back into the room. He approached the agent-in-charge and requested a conference, in a more private setting.

Before they could leave the room Justin reminded them that any conversation involving Arianna Grace should be conducted within earshot of her legal guardian. And so the Marshal explained that he just received word that Nick Fallon had also gone missing. That somehow he had shaken his detail. It was believed that had gone to wherever Arianna Grace was taken; that he himself might have organized it, since he had taken quite a few things belonging to the baby.

Will resisted the temptation to yell, even though he was extremely angry. He resisted the temptation to shove these…persons…out of the way and go and find his daughter himself. Instead, he stepped forward, toward the agent-in-charge and blatantly pointed a finger at him: **"If the harassment is over, I suggest you go and find my daughter. Now."**


	14. Chapter 14

The Marshal's Office had been looking for Arianna Grace and Nick Fallon for two days now. Out of courtesy and a realization that Sonny and Will were actually NOT two individuals to be reckoned with, the Marshals were giving them hourly updates.

Someone from higher up in the food chain reminded the agent-in-charge that on Sonny's side, several people that had been in charge of protecting the most powerful man in the world ended up in the employ of a certain Victor Kiriakis. Also, the names of Horton and Brady, as well as Black were circulated as very important names in certain security circles; and so, Will Horton had to be kept happy.

Neither Sonny nor Will were ever told about this, but their case, and their desire to be reunited with Arianna Grace, was made a serious priority of the Marshal's Office. The agent-in-charge was confident that Nick Fallon wouldn't be able to avoid his agents for very long; especially with a baby to take care of. He was confident that they would find him before very long.

And he wasn't wrong. The Marshal's Office traced Nick Fallon to an abandoned warehouse in Chicago. Why Nick decided to return to "the frying pan" that was Chicago, since it was the headquarters of the organized crime family that he was testifying against, was anyone's guess.

Sonny and Will were waiting rather impatiently for word. And word they got. The agent-in-charge had arrived and was waiting anxiously in the front parlour where Will and Sonny had been summoned for an update meeting.

The agent-in-charge got even more nervous when he saw Will and Sonny approaching. Both had smiles on their faces, although mixed with slight apprehension. They were holding hands. They looked hopeful. The agent-in-charge sighed as he asked both young men to please sit down for the progress report.

Now, Sonny and Will both thought individually and through the glance they gave each other, that whenever anyone asks you to sit down before a discussion, it is hardly ever a good thing. Sonny had braced himself for the bad news. Will had hope that it wouldn't be all bad. They both sat together on one of the love-seats, holding hands.

The agent-in-charge went straight into the details, although in general terms, if that makes any sense. He told Sonny and Will that a group of several agents stormed an abandoned warehouse where Nick Fallon was purported to be hiding. What they were not anticipating was that a group of what could only be described as 'thugs', had arrived at the warehouse and found Nick Fallon before they did.

The agents at the scene observed one of the thugs aim and fire a pistol point blank into Nick's head. Nick was dead instantly.

A gun fight ensued. Several of the thugs were injured or shot dead. A few escaped. One in particular was seen carrying a small bassinet. An amber-alert was issued and several different jurisdictions and levels of law enforcement were involved.

The agent-in-charge made one final statement:** "We are going to find her gentlemen"**

The agent-in-charge had been looking very closely at both Will and Sonny throughout his rather brief but also rather information-charged account. Sonny, who it seemed, had braced himself for any negative news, seemed calm. He also seemed rather disappointed, afraid for his daughter, unsure what to think about Nick Fallon's sudden demise; yet still rather calm.

Will on the other hand seemed rather agitated. The agent-in-charge could see that Will was calculating things in his head; such as the chances that his child was still alive; or the chances of her being taken care of by a bunch of homicidal thugs; and he wasn't coming up with great odds for Arianna's well-being, not at all.

The agent-in-charge looked again towards Sonny. Sonny was looking towards Will; and then Sonny's attention flickered towards the agent-in-charge for just a moment; a moment enough to say: **"Sir, thank you for the update, now if you would excuse us, I think we both need to absorb the information…"**

As Sonny and Will stood up, in order to leave the room, the agent-in-charge motioned for them to stop**: "Please…I need to take my leave. When I am updated, so will you both be."**

Before the agent-in-charge left the room, he stated that his agency was doing everything they could to get Arianna Grace back where she belonged. He also mentioned that in situations like this, emotions could run high and that he had arranged for someone specializing in counselling relatives of kidnapped victims to arrive shortly.

After watching the agent-in-charge leave the room, Sonny focused his attention on Will, who was in a state of angered shock. Sonny hugged Will, who tensed up, but when Will realized that it was Sonny hugging him, Will relaxed; but only for a short time.

Will started shaking his head: **"Nick's Dead Sonny; Nick's dead, our daughter's been kidnapped and it's all my fault…It's all my fault…"**

Sonny managed to turn Will around so that he could look Will in his eyes. He grabbed Will's head with both hands and stared lovingly in Will eyes and said: **"Will, sweetheart, you always do this. Taking responsibility for things is a good trait; but taking responsibility for everything, babe, you've got to get over that."**

Will hated to disagree with Sonny, but he did. He explained that if he hadn't let Nick blackmail him, this wouldn't have happened. This of course was an old argument; and Sonny simply let Will play it out.

Then Sonny smiled his loving, understanding smile and explained to Will that Nick was to blame for his reactions. Nick should have gotten counselling. Nick didn't have to use Arianna Grace as a bargaining chip.

Sonny grinned as he said: **"And besides Will, how could you have prevented Nick from being stupid enough to go back to Chicago, risking his own life and Arianna Grace's. Please explain that."**

And of course Will couldn't. He so wanted, actually needed, to be in control of everything, that when he couldn't live up to his own inflated expectations, he blamed himself; he even hated himself a little.

And he was about to go back to his go-to argument of if-he-hadn't-shot-EJ-this-never-would-have-happene d, when they both heard a sound from the entrance to the parlour. Both Sonny and Will looked towards the sound to find Will's Grandma Marlena smiling back at them.

Sonny, intuitively let Will go; and Will sprang forward towards his grandmother and hugged her for all he was worth, and cried. Marlena, for her part, just let Will emote. She knew intuitively, but also because she truly knew her grandson that this is what he needed at this time.

Marlena also anticipated, because she knew Will, that he would try to convince her that he was to blame for all of this. She therefore proactively took Will's chin in her hand, to bring his eyes back to hers and she said: **"Will, you listen to your fiancé. He knows what he is talking about; you are not to blame for any of this." **Marlena lifted her eyes for just a second to direct them towards Sonny; and she winked at him.

Marlena then brought her gaze back to her grandson who immediately tried to convince, by reiterating for the endless time all his arguments concerning his culpability. He was relentless in his self-accusatory tone.

For her part, Marlena listened to her grandson with compassion and real interest, and when Will had exhausted all his arguments she simply said: **"Will, my darling… that is a bunch of crap…and you know it."**

Will, had to endure both his grandmother and his fiancé counter every one of his arguments until he had no arguments left.

And then it happened. His phone rang. Usually he wouldn't answer the ring denoting a number coming from an unknown source. He would normally let it go to voice mail so that he could evaluate the caller and the call itself. He was however so flustered by his grandmother and his fiancé's attitude towards his thoughts regarding Nick Fallon, that he immediately answered the call.

**"Hello,"** he said, and was answered by a rather hoarse and accented, probably Irish, voice which asked if the person answering was Will Horton. Will answered that he was. The voice on the other end stated rather matter-of-factly that his organization had Will's daughter in its possession and if said girl-child was to survive this ordeal, certain conditions had to be met.

Sonny could see Will's expression change right after he told whoever was on the other end of the call that he was indeed Will Horton. It hardened. Will visibly tensed up. Sonny went to Will and hugged him from behind, partly to give Will reassurance but also it enabled him to hear both sides of the conversation.

Will was instructed to look into Nick's things and find any files marked "uisce". He had two hours, at which time he would receive another call with further instructions. The voice was adamant that there was to be no involvement by any law enforcement agency, or by any member of the Kiriakis or DiMera families.

When Sonny heard the last part of the conversation, he grabbed the phone from Will's hand and said: **"This is Sonny Kiriakis. That little baby is also MY daughter. My family is involved. The sooner you get used to that idea, the better off you'll be. And by the way, if you hurt her in any way, God help you."**

After a brief silence, the voice on the other end hesitatingly said that the baby was fine and to just get the files; and then the call was ended.

Sonny handed the phone back to Will, who was visibly shaking; more out of frustration than anything else. Will turned to face Sonny. As their eyes met, they communicated so much between one another. Both were frustrated and afraid. Both were wondering what files Nick could have, and where they could be. They weren't the only ones wondering. Marlena had been able to listen to most of what was being said on the other end of the call. She too was wondering what anyone could possibly want with Nick Fallon's files.

As Sonny and Will communicated, it donned on them both that Marlena must have heard the call. Will turned to his grandmother and asked her to not say anything to anyone. Marlena shook her head. She couldn't do that. She had been asked by the Marshal's Office to counsel the two of them. The Marshals needed to be informed about the call. In fact they might even have already been monitoring the call, so if nothing is said, then it will look suspicious.

Marlena convinced both Will and Sonny that informing the Marshals was necessary, but she also stated that she would recommend that they stand down on this one. She was going to make a call to John Black who still had contacts in certain surveillance fields and he might be able to help them get their daughter back safe and sound.

Sonny and Will went to talk to Aunt Maggie about whether there were any of Nick's things still in the house somewhere. She informed them that some things had been stored down in the basement, including a laptop and some data disks.

It only took them a total of an hour between the call and finding the data disks and files on Nick's laptop that were marked with variations on the word "uisce", which meant water in Irish-Gaelic; Will had googled it.

In the meantime the Marshals had been informed of the call. They were not comfortable standing down. Therefore, a compromise had been reached to work with a team that would be recommended by John Black; that is if John could get a team mobilized in time. If not it would be a Marshals-only operation.

It also turned out that Will's phone was being monitored, passively, by the Marshals. A more active trace was therefore quickly and easily set up to monitor and trace the incoming call that everyone was now anticipating with growing impatience.

When the call came it was brief and to the point. The caller asked if the files had been found. Will answered to the affirmative. The caller then instructed that everything related to the files were to be delivered in person by both Will and Sonny at the Salem docks in one hour. The call was terminated.

Will turned to Sonny, who had been hugging him closely the whole call. His eyes were worried yet hopeful. Sonny recognized the question that was written all over Will's face and he answered: **"She'll be okay Will. We will get her back."**


	15. Chapter 15

The limousine pulled up to the small warehouse located near the outskirts of the Salem Port Authority. Inside said limo were two very nervous young men, holding hands. On the lounge seat opposite them were two older men, looking rather stern, and trying not to pay much attention to the other. One was Victor Kiriakis and the other was EJ DiMera.

The limo was sandwiched by two dark coloured sedans; each one transporting one of the security forces of the two families represented in the limousine. The front car was transporting the Kiriakis security force and the back car was transporting the DiMera security force. It was a rather formidable sight.

Now, one might wonder how this came about. Sonny and Will were still wondering that very fact, and they had just recently lived it. It appears that Marlena had called John Black, and after learning of the one hour deadline, John said that he wouldn't be able to bring a team in on time, but that he had a better idea.

John called Victor; who, after learning about Arianna Grace's situation, became rather livid. He was so livid that even now in the limo, if you listened closely you could hear him mumbling: **"Nobody does that to a Kiriakis…nobody."**

John suggested that in this case, since the kidnappers had requested that the Kiriakis and DiMera families not be involved, and Sonny had responded that the Kiriakis family was already involved, it might be a good idea to present a united front and have both families present when Will and Sonny brought the requested files to the docks.

Victor called the DiMera mansion and since Stephano was out of the country at the moment, EJ decided that he would accompany his soon to be step-son to the docks. Victor Kiriakis also decided to personally accompany his grand-nephew.

John Black had discussed this with the agent-in-charge of the Marshals, and with some difficulty was able to convince him that a more laid-back law-enforcement presence was probably best, in this case. Law enforcement of at least three different levels of government were represented but they would hang back in the beginning and only come forward when Arianna Grace was safely in the hands of her fathers or if the situation escalated to the point that they were needed.

That didn't sit well with Salem's police commissioner. Roman wanted to go in, guns blazing, to get his great-granddaughter back. It was a call from John Black that helped calm him down. It would be the Salem police that would be first in line if there was any trouble, and this placated Roman, a little.

The three car caravan went through the hangar's opened doors, and when the last car was inside the hangar, the caravan stopped. As per the plan, security from both cars stepped out of the vehicle. The head of security from the Kiriakis camp was the designated spokesperson.

There were two other dark sedans parked at the other end of the hangar. A few men stepped out of each vehicle. One of the men did not seem to be particularly happy. He wanted to know what was going on. He also said, in a loud and condescending voice, that it seemed two excitable gay dads weren't able to follow instructions. He stated that they were told to come alone and the fact that they didn't, did not bode well for the little baby.

The Head of Kiriakis Security simply harrumphed at that. He told the speaker that Sonny Kiriakis had stated that the Kiriakis family was already involved, and that they had better get used to it. The security head also stated that The DiMera family was also very interested in why they had been included in that little threat and that is why they were here as well.

The head of security then went a little on the offensive; he demanded to know which Chicago Family was being represented here, because it was obvious that this was a Mob thing. He stated that he was under the impression that all the Chicago Families and any and all other gangs for that matter knew not to mess with anyone from the DiMera or Kiriakis Families and especially not to set foot in Salem.

And that demand prompted another person to step out of the unknown group's vehicle. It was a rather striking woman in her early forties, and she was holding a very familiar looking bassinet. This prompted EJ and Victor to both state simultaneously: **"Aimee O'Greary. Figures."**

EJ and Victor looked at one another and nodded. They signaled the men outside, who opened their respective doors. They both stepped out of the vehicle at the same time; the open bullet-proof doors being a shield between them and a potential threat.

As was also pre-arranged, Victor was the one who spoke for both families:

**"Aimee O'Greary, I should have known your Family was involved in this. You lot have always been rather brazen. I would even call it foolish. Now hand over my great-grand-niece, and I might forget this whole thing even happened."**

Aimee O'Greary simply laughed and replied: **"Why should I be afraid or even pay attention to a dried-up old has-been gangster like you?"**

And then she turned to EJ and said:** "Or a wanna-be gangster like you? You both are pathetic. Now hand over the files or I will kill this baby right in front of you."**

When Sonny and Will heard this woman say that she was willing to kill Arianna Grace, they both shot out of the limousine; Sonny happened to be on Victor's side, and Will on EJ's.

Sonny spoke first: **"Hey you… crazy lady! Are you effing kidding me?! You may not respect these two men here…although I think that's idiotic…But do you have any idea who the baby...you know the one in that bassinet that you think you can just kill off…do you know to whom her biological father is related? Let me give you a hint…he's a Horton and a Brady… that means he's the grandson of Roman Brady… a nephew to Bo and Hope Brady and a step-grandson to John Black…you do know who these people are …right?!"**

Sonny went on to say that if anything happened to Arianna Grace they wouldn't just have to deal with the Kiriakis and DiMera Families…something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemies but also the AGENCY…. The CIA…The FBI, and several police departments including the Salem PD. He ended his impassioned soliloquy with: **"Good luck with that."**

And then it was Will's turn. He threw Nick Fallon's Laptop and all the files they found as far in the direction of the O'Greary sedans as he could; and shouted passionately: **"You want Nick Fallon's files?! Here you go!"**

As the laptop and files crashed to the ground in front of the lead sedan, he shouted that Nick Fallon was a genius when it came to several things, including computers…But He…Will Horton…was better. It only took him 10 minutes to get through the myriad protections that Nick Fallon had set up to safeguard the files:

**"And I had a brilliant idea! You wanted these files so badly… I posted them on Youtube…I tweeted them…I put them on FaceBook and Tumbler…so that everyone…including the feds…could see what they were all about!"**

Will stated he did that so everyone would know their plans to control the water-rights to several dozen counties including Salem…and their plans to buy and control bottled-water distribution companies, through bribery of county officials and the laundering of drug profits.

Sonny again took over the conversation: **"I suggest you hand over my fiancé's and my daughter, because if any harm comes to her, none of you will survive five minutes longer. You will all die…I promise you that…and not by the hands of the Kiriakis or DiMera men…but by bullets fired by guns held by the over three hundred police officers parked about seven hundred yards from here!"**

At that very moment police sirens could be heard advancing from all sides. The cars were advancing rather slowly, presumably to not spook the kidnappers too much and give them time to make the right decision and give up the baby willingly; and it seemed that all this shouting and sirens was too much for one little set of ears. Arianna Grace started crying; and she was rather upset and it showed. Aimee O'Greary became rather agitated and shouted for the baby to be quiet.

And that was when Will did something rather rash. After hearing his little girl being shouted at by a crazy lady, he stepped out of the relative safety of the armour-plated door, and ran towards his child shouting in a slightly raised but very loving and comforting manner:

**"It's okay sweetie! Daddy and Papa are here; and Daddy is coming to get you!"**

This was a rather unexpected and bold move, the two caravans were close enough to one another that it didn't take Will very long to reach that crazy woman holding his child. Most people were too preoccupied by the fact that the police were approaching, and that there were well-trained armed security personnel in front of them, to react to Will who simply stormed towards Aimee O'Gready and snatched the bassinet from her hands.

For good measure, he pushed her to the ground while saying: **"You're lucky, lady, that that is all I do!", **and he ran back to the safety of the bullet-proof door. Aimee O'Gready was shouting for anyone and everyone to shout the interloper that just pushed her down, but they were not listening to her. They were too busy getting in their vehicles in order to escape; some even tried running on foot. But they were completely surrounded by that point and most people simply put down their weapons and surrendered. Aimee O'Gready was shot in the shoulder by a police sharp-shooter as she grabbed for a gun; she fell to the ground in pain.

The Kiriakis and DiMera security teams , after ensuring Will's safe return, lowered their weapons that they had produced automatically when Will bounded for the bassinet. They then ushered Victor, EJ, Sonny and Will into the Limousine and entered their respective sedans. They all awaited the go-ahead from the law enforcement authorities to depart. No one had had to fire one shot. They were all rather pleased.

In the limo Will had taken his crying daughter out of the bassinet and he and Sonny both started to examine her, to see if she was hurt in any way. They did all this while producing soothing cooing sounds and saying things like: **"Hello there sweetie-pie! Papa missed you, yes he did…yes he did…" **and** "Was my sweetie okay with the bad men? Hmmm? Did they feed you sweetie?"**

EJ and Victor simply sat back and smiled watching the two young fathers doting and fussing over their daughter. They were distracted by a knock on the window. It was Salem Police Commissioner Brady. The window was lowered and Roman smiled at his grandson and great-granddaughter. He asked Will if Arianna Grace looked healthy; if she was okay. Will replied that she looked fine but that he still would like a doctor to examine her, just in case.

Roman agreed and suggested that Sonny, Will and the baby transfer to a police vehicle so that they could be speedily whisked to the hospital. Will and Sonny agreed, but before they left the limo each young man bent forward to hug Victor and EJ and each thanked the two older men for their help.

Both Victor and EJ requested that they join them at the hospital, and Will and Sonny agreed. Victor and EJ both said that they would arrange it so that other interested parties were informed and that Will and Sonny should be prepared to be bombarded by interested relatives in an hour or so.

Roman thanked EJ and Victor for their help and support in this time of crisis and he requested that the respective security forces **"Be sent home".**

Sonny and Will, with Arianna Grace back in her bassinet, were put in the back seat of the police Commissioner vehicle and whiske dspeedily onward toward the hospital.


	16. Chapter 16

When Will and Sonny reached the hospital, doctors and nurses took over. Arianna Grace was examined, blood tests were done and given to the lab marked 'rush'. Arianna Grace didn't seem any worse for wear; a little dehydrated and slightly underfed; but no marks of physical trauma of any kind.

Will and Sonny both were worried that their baby would have nightmares for the rest of her life, but the doctors and nurses reassured them that, at her stage of development she was unlikely to remember anything that happened, if anything actually did.

The family had all shown up; both sides. Justin, Adrienne, Victor and Maggie; Sami, Lucas, EJ, Marlena and John; Hope, Jenifer, JJ and Abigail; and quite a few others. They all wanted a chance to hold Little Ari; and even though Sonny and Will were a little overwhelmed with all the people, they understood why they were all there.

Little Ari was passed from one relative to another; everyone gave Little Ari so much love and so much attention. They also congratulated Will and Sonny for not losing it. EJ and Victor, who had both been extremely impressed with both boys during their recent ordeal, and they voiced their approval to all that would listen.

Having Little Ari back, safe and sound was a dream come true for Sonny and Will.

Arianna Grace was to be kept at the hospital for a twenty-four hour observation period; and not surprisingly, neither Sonny nor Will wanted to leave her side, so the hospital set up a room where all three could be together.

Although the nurses continually offered to help with feeding Arianna Grace, and all the other parental activities, the two boys wanted to use this opportunity to get back into the groove of it; they had both missed doing these things. They had both missed their Little Ari so damn much.

Will decided rather early in the morning to take his baby for a little walk. Sonny had fallen asleep and Will wanted Sonny to rest. Little Ari was fussing, and Will was feeling rather good about feeling physically up for this particular task; and Sonny looked so beautiful, and so peaceful, asleep like he was. So, with Little Ari in his arms, Will started on a little stroll. Little Ari became much more calm.

When on his walk Will overheard doctors talking about a patient in a coma that woke up a few days ago. This patient wasn't doing very well because they unfortunately had to tell him some bad news. His family was keeping vigil around him, and he was recovering; but the stress of the news was an extreme setback.

Will, didn't want to intrude but he was sure that the doctors were discussing Rafe Hernandez, although they never used any names, but how many comatose patients that could receive devastating news could there be in this hospital?

And so he approached the doctors and asked if they were talking about Rafe Hernandez. The doctors acted quite reticent about disclosing anything, and so Will introduced himself and he explained that the baby he was holding was Rafe's niece and that she had just recently returned.

The doctors thanked Will for the information. They would talk it over with his family and with the doctor attending the patient, and would see what the correct approach would be. Will nodded and continued his walk.

Will had been gone a lot longer than he intended and so he was relieved to find that Sonny was still asleep when he and his daughter returned to their room. Will tried to put Arianna back into her bassinet, and that cause poor Little Ari to let out incredible sounds of protest.

Sonny stirred, as he realized that he was indeed asleep and he heard a sound of a loved one in distress. He shot up in a flash. As his vision cleared and sleep fell away, his first observations were that of his gorgeous fiancé rocking his daughter and beginning to sing, humming lullabies, making cooing noises. It was a beautiful sight to see.

Finally Little Ari had calmed down enough that when she was placed back into his bassinet she fell asleep. And before Will could turn around, Sonny crept up to him and hugged him from behind; Will, although startled, recognized the invading presence for who he was; the love of his life. And so he did not shout out.

Sonny caressed Will's neck, lovingly and gently, and when he was done and he could feel Will melting in his arms, he smiled and said: **"Sweets, I love it when you sing to Little Ari; of all the things I missed after Little Ari was taken away from us, I think that was one that I missed the most."**

Will turned around very swiftly, grabbed Sonny's hair and thrust his lips towards Sonny's; they connected and Will and Sonny proceeded to kiss one another with a passion that they had become accustomed to.

A quiet knocking was heard that brought both our boys back to earth. Sonny opened the door. A doctor asked to come in. The doctor started to explain Rafe's condition, and his state of mind.

Rafe had been in a coma for almost two months. There had been steady progress and eventually he was brought out of his coma with the help of a series of medications and auditory and other physical therapies. Rafe kept asking after his sister and so his mother and brother made the decision to tell Rafe about her. He started convulsions and needed to be sedated.

The doctors believed that (and the family has consented to) Will and Sonny bringing Arianna Grace to Rafe. Seeing his niece should be good for Sonny psychologically speaking. Will and Sonny both agreed that it would be appropriate and Sonny asked when they wished this to occur. The doctor smiled and said, looking at the sleeping baby, that Rafe was awake now and perhaps now might be a good time, even though it was exceedingly early in the morning.

Will and Sonny were brought to Rafe's room. Will stopped at the entrance. Sonny could sense that Will was rather nervous. He grabbed Will's hand and squeezed. Will was thinking that he hadn't seen Mrs. Hernandez in many years and that he hoped she did not blame him for her daughter's death. Will was unaware that Mrs. Hernandez had been contacted by Justin for the custody hearing and a signed affidavit from her concerning her willingness to grant both Will and Sonny custody of Arianna Grace, as well as a glowing character reference for Will, had been obtained but was never presented to the court.

Therefore, Will was significantly unprepared for Mrs. Hernandez's reaction upon seeing him, Sonny and the little bassinet. She flung herself out of her chair that had been positioned close to Rafe's side and she raced to Will.

Will had braced himself to be slapped and yelled at. He could understand her if she did that. He was totally unprepared for her tears and her hug, and her kiss on his cheek. He was especially unprepared for what she said to him and Sonny both:

**"My dear Will, and you too Sonny (nice to meet you by the way) I just want you to know how happy I am that you now have Arianna Grace Gabriella back with you. I know that you will love her the way her mother, my dear Gabriella, would have wanted her to be loved."**

This was too much for Will. He looked at his best friend Gabi's mother, and through tears, that began rolling down his cheeks he said: **"I'm so sorry Mrs. Hernandez…I'm so very sorry…I wish I could have protected your daughter…Although I couldn't love her the way she deserved…She was my best friend…I need you to know that her daughter will know her…I will make sure she does."**

At that moment they heard noises coming from the hospital bed. Rafe had fallen asleep, but the emotional activity being performed in front of him, was enough to wake him up.

Will stepped forward and regarded the man that he still considered to be a father figure with compassionate and respect. Will smiled and sat in the seat that had be vacated by Rafe's mother. He set the bassinet on the bed and proceeded to release his still sleeping daughter from those confines:

**"Rafe, I hear that you were upset hearing about your sister…I can't blame you…I have been upset about that for a while…But I want you to meet someone…she is the best thing your sister, and I, for that matter, ever did…I'd like to introduce you to your niece Arianna Grace Gabriella Horton, soon to be Kiriakis. In my opinion she is the best thing to ever happen to this world. And your sister made her possible."**

He presented his daughter wrapped snuggly in a blanket, still sleeping, to Rafe, who immediately asked if he could hold her. Will placed Little Ari securely in Rafe's arms and smiled as Rafe fawned over her.

The Hernandez family, Sonny and Will discussed plans for Gabi's memorial service, Little Ari's christening and even plans for Wil and Sonny's wedding, once Rafe noticed Will's engagement ring. When Rafe looked too tired to continue, Will and Sonny left the room in order to be ready, in their own room, for when Little Ari would wake up to be fed and have her diaper changed

* * *

Sonny and Will were in their room at the Kiriakis mansion. Little Ari was in her bassinet, on the bed. Will wanted to have his daughter close to him. He still couldn't believe that she was here, with her two dads. He was so happy, and very tired.

Sonny was cuddling with Will, who had Little Ari next to him. He was very much okay with the fact that Will was more intent to be with his daughter than with him; although that wasn't exactly true.

When they finally decided to go to bed, and when Little Ari was all settled, Will grabbed Sonny, shoved him on the bed, took Sonny's clothes off and showed his appreciation; first with kisses and then in a way that involved Will's mouth and lips and several different parts of Sonny's body.

When Sonny was spent and Will was satisfied that he made Sonny happy, Will started to slide under the covers. But Sonny would not have that. He wanted Will to be as satisfied as he was. Will told Sonny that this wasn't necessary. He had wanted Sonny to feel as good as he felt. He wanted Sonny to know that he, Will Horton, appreciated how much Sonny had done for him in the last month. First delivering Little Ari, then his stepping up and being a parent; and after thatn being Will's rock when Will could have gone over the deep end.

Sonny would have none of that. He told Will that he was in a partnership with Will and that he didn't deserve any special treatment. He was so proud of Will. Will could have thrown in the towel but he didn't and so Sonny reciprocated, satiating Will with kisses and other more intimate gestures.

And when Sonny was satisfied that Will was as happy as he had been,Will and Sonny and Arianna Grace slept like…well slept like babies…at least until Little Ari woke up and demanded to be fed.


	17. Chapter 17

For Little Ari, the next few days were pretty much the same; in that everything was new. For Little Ari, discovery happened every day. But her routine was fairly simply. She explored her surroundings when she was awake; which pretty much consisted of her own body, since her mobility at this stage of her development was pretty much non-existent. She felt the need to eat, a lot. And that pretty much consisted of her vocalizing her needs so that her dads could hear her and respond. She slept a lot, but still in short intervals. She also passed things. Smelly, uncomfortable things and she truly did not like those feelings.

For Sonny the next few days were a bit more difficult. He started working at the coffee-house more often. Chad had come back to him rather enthusiastically about an idea Sonny had. They were now in the planning stages to opening several more Common Grounds coffee-houses. If all went well, they would have a chain of four coffee-houses operating around Salem and Chicago in six months, and another four six months after that. Planning for the next step in his business venture was exhilarating. The only problem was that he couldn't spend all the time he wanted to spend with Little Ari and Will, although he did try to be there for his daughter and his fiancé as often as he could.

Will was having the most difficult time of the three of them. Now, he thoroughly enjoyed spending his days with his daughter; it was all the other stuff he had to do that made his life a little difficult. It became his responsibility to search for a house, a home. He also put himself in charge of planning Little Ari's christening and his and Sonny's wedding. But even that wasn't what made the next few days after his daughter's return a bit difficult.

Nick Fallon's funeral had been organized very quickly; and there was a question, in Will's mind, as well as in the minds of a few others, whether he should go to it or simply stay away. Nick was Will's cousin, but Nick had been a serious dick; and certain members of the family blamed Will for what happened. Will wasn't looking forward to it, and he felt bad about not going. He wasn't sure he could handle two funerals in one week.

Gabi's funeral had been postponed, to give Rafe more time to recover, but Gabi's mother had asked Will to say a few words at the service. Her funeral was scheduled to be two days after Nick's, even though she had died before him.

Will was rocking Little Ari, to try and get her to stop fussing. Sonny was still at Common Grounds but had texted that he would be coming home soon. Nick's funeral was the next morning at 11:00 a.m. Will still wasn't sure about going. He needed to sound the problem out so he did so…to Little Ari. He started chanting his thoughts about Nick, in a melodic sing-a-long, baby talk way, as he walked and rocked her to try to get her calmed down enough to go to sleep:

**" My Little Ari, What's your daddy going to do? Huh, Little girl? Half your daddy's family hates him . They blame him for Nick's death . And they're right , my little baby girl . Yes they are . It's my fault that mean ole uncle Nick is dead "**

And then something happened that surprised Will, on many levels. Firstly, he was shocked to find someone listening to him sing-songing to her daughter. He was so engrossed in her and in his own thoughts that he failed to notice that someone had parked herself in the doorway and was listening to him. He did however notice her when she spoke, startling him:

**"It was not your fault my dear Will. And you need to stop blaming yourself for Nick's death. If you don't, others won't stop blaming you either, and that will make you miserable my dear Will, as well as you all being wrong."**

As Will turned towards the voice he had heard, he was stunned that his Aunt Maggie would say that to him. This was something his Grandma Marlena would say to him. He'd always thought that his aunt was in Nick's corner; that she didn't approve of him, perhaps because he was gay. He certainly thought that she was of the opinion that Nick would be a better influence on a child than he would ever be. And his questions and his anxiety must have been on his face because Maggie stepped forward into the room as she continued to say:

**"I know I haven't been your best supporter Will, and I regret that very much. I am so glad that you still tried to connect with me, because I know you have. And I need to be honest with you. I thought that Nick and Gabi would make better parents for Arianna Grace than you and Sonny, and, yes, it was because you and Sonny were two gay men. And I was wrong. Seeing the both of you with Little Ari, the way you interact with her, the way you act towards each other, has opened my eyes. Even if Gabi and Nick were still alive, I think, having seen you and Sonny together with Little Ari, I would choose you both as the better parents."**

She went on to say that Will, Sonny and Little Ari needed to go to Nick's funeral. That in doing so they would show all doubters that they were truly a family meant to be. They needed to allow the nay-sayers and the doubters to voice their opinions, so that Will, Sonny and Little Ari's supporters could voice theirs:

**"You do have supporters Will, never doubt that, a lot of your supporters were doubters like me. We understand the doubt, but we will fight for you. Because my dear, you deserve it."**

Will's reaction was a little unmanly, but given the stresses of the last few weeks and the fact he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, it wasn't surprising at all that Will broke down, if only a little. He still had Little Ari in his arms. He brought his daughter up so that she was close to his face and tears started to flow. He hummed a little and said: **"Hey Little Ari, Daddy loves you, do you know that?"**

He then turned towards his Aunt Maggie, and tears started to mist his crystal-blue eyes. His voice cracked with strong emotion, as he said to her:** "Aunt Maggie…I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to hear you say that"**

Will lifted an arm inviting her into a hug. She stepped forward and embraced her grand-nephew and his daughter.

They both were a little startled when they felt someone else join the hug. It was Sonny, who, having finally arrived home, came up the stairs and into his bedroom to witness his Aunt Maggie apologize to Will. It warmed his heart so much that he needed to join in the hug:

**"Thanks Aunt Maggie, Will and I have been feeling a bit isolated from Will's side of the family. Thank you for coming around. And we will take you up on your offer of support when we go to Nick's funeral tomorrow. Won't we Will…"**

Will could only smile through his tears and nod his head.

* * *

Will, Sonny and Arianna Grace, along with Aunt Maggie, Sami, Hope and Marlena, arrived at Nick Fallon's funeral a few minutes early. The funeral was being held at St-Luke's with Eric Brady officiating. It was a solemn service, attended mostly by family. Nick's parents were in the front pews, along with Jennifer Deveraux and Abigail and JJ and Roman. Maggie and Hope joined them.

Maggie had asked Will and Sonny if they wanted to join her, but Will said that they would be more comfortable in the back, in case Little Ari started to fuss. Sami and Marlena stayed with Sonny and Will.

When it came time for the eulogy, Nick's father, Joshua Fallon stepped up to the podium. He started recounting Nick's childhood, and what an energetic, intelligent and happy child he was. Eventually Joshua mentioned current events by saying:

**"Nick made a lot of mistakes, but one thing he did right, although it cost him his life, was to try and save the life of his wife's daughter, even though she wasn't his. He had an obligation to try and ensure Gabi's child had a correct upbringing, which she will now, unfortunately, not have. I will pray for her."**

Joshua Fallon stepped down from the podium. The church became very silent. Will could see a few people look his way, sporting rather unfriendly looks; some were downright hostile. He glanced towards his mother and could see that she was practically itching to stand up and defend her son. On one level he was very proud of her for wanting to do that, but he also didn't want to cause a scene and he knew that his mother had a tendency to make matters much worse even though she seldom meant to.

Sonny of course was becoming angry because Nick's father was implying that his and Will's relationship was immoral and if not that, than certainly not good enough for Will to raise his own daughter, all because he was gay.

Sonny glanced at Will who was still looking anxiously towards his mother. This calmed him down. He certainly didn't want to embarrass Will, although he was certainly hoping that Sami would succumb to her base instincts and stand up and yell because somebody should. Although Sonny did recognize that this certainly wasn't the time or the place to make a scene.

Sonny did mentally promise that if anyone said anything bad about Will, he would respond, especially if no one else would. He hoped that what Aunt Maggie said was true and that at least she would be there to defend Will if need be.

Will managed to convince his mother that the best thing for her to do was to go home and not go to the reception. Will and Sonny had talked it over right after the funeral and had decided that they would just go home; Little Ari was getting a bit fussy, she was probably getting hungry. They did have bottles to feed her but it was better to feed her at home.

Maggie had other ideas for the couple. She noticed that they were heading to their car and she intercepted them and managed to convince them that they needn't hide; that quite a few people would love to see them and love to meet Arianna Grace. And so, they relented and headed to the reception.

* * *

The reception was held at the Horton house. Abby was there to greet the guests, and although she was a little surprised to see Sonny and Will arrive, she was very happy to see them. She greeted them and then greeted Little Ari, who was wide-eyed and pleasantly cooing to herself.

Maggie led them into the parlour and Sonny, Will, Little Ari and Maggie took up a little corner of the room. Maggie saw Jennifer and decided to say hello and ask if she could do anything. She arrived just in time to hear Jennifer and Abigail arguing about Will and Sonny:

**"Abigail, why did you let them in? I know they are both your cousins but I really don't think it was appropriate for them to attend the funeral much less come here. I mean Joshua and Jessica will be very uncomfortable being so close to the two people responsible for Nick's death. I know I am."**

Maggie was shocked to hear her niece say those words. She was relieved and quite a bit happy to see that Abigail was as shocked and appalled as she was.

Maggie turned back towards the boys so that Abigail could reprimand her mother in private. As she reached Sonny and Will, who had taken Little Ari out of her bassinet and it seems were preparing to feed her, she looked toward the entrance just in time to see Joshua and Jessica react to seeing Will and Sonny.

Maggie could see the angry fire growing in Joshua's eyes. She briefly second-guessed her decision to request Will and Sonny's presence at the reception, but only briefly. She noticed that Hope was near Joshua and she discreetly indicated that Hope come between Joshua and the boys.

Hope looked inquisitively at Maggie then at Joshua and she understood. She went to Joshua and asked him if he were alright and that maybe he should calm down. Joshua let a large part of his anger loose as he shouted a little too loudly:

**"I am not alright. What are those two faggots doing here? They murdered my son!"**

Hope stood her ground and prepared herself to prevent Joshua from interfering in any way with Sonny or Will or Little Ari for that matter.

Sonny became very angry at hearing the f word being thrown his way and in his daughter's hearing. He now knew were Nick had gotten his attitude, from his father. He stood up and was prepared to defend his family.

Joshua tried to push his way past Hope but she blocked him expertly. She thought that she might have to get physical in order to prevent a more serious confrontation. She was about to grab Joshua who had bolted forward yet again when she heard Maggie Kiriakis speaking authoritatively:

**"Joshua! Calm yourself down this instant! You are making a fool of yourself! Will and Sonny were not responsible for your son's death; your son was!"**

Maggie went on to say that perhaps she didn't have a right to speak her mind in this house, but that she was going to do it anyway:

**"I am appalled by certain reactions that I have witnessed today, although I understand them. I myself am guilty of underestimating the love that these two boys share. And I am deeply ashamed to admit that I too thought that Gabi and Nick would be more suitable as parents for Arianna Grace than Will and Sonny"**

Maggie stated that she had thought that two men bringing up a child just wasn't right. It wasn't natural. That two men could never truly be in love, only in lust with each other and what kind of environment would that be for a child?

Maggie could see people nodding in agreement, including Joshua, Jessica and Jennifer, among quite a few others. She was embarrassed and ashamed for them. She shook her head, knowing that she had felt as they did not too long ago and continued:

**"I used to think that also, until I witnessed Will and Sonny's interactions with each other and with their daughter first hand. These two young men will make great parents for Arianna Grace and for a gaggle of others, I hope. They are both devoted to that little girl and to each other. They were absolutely devastated when they had to give her up. "**

She pointed to Joshua and told him that the word he had just used was inappropriate and inexcusable. Will and Sonny were human beings just like the rest of the people in this room and they deserved to be respected, and loved, and commended for the task that they chose to undertake at their age, because not everyone would.

She addressed Jennifer next. She told Jennifer that she overheard what Jennifer had said about Will and Sonny and that she was not impressed with her idea of hospitality.

Maggie went on to say that until Jennifer apologized to Will and Sonny that she, Maggie Kiriakis, would not be setting foot in this house again. Maggie paused to give Jennifer an opportunity to speak, and when Jennifer didn't say anything, Maggie gestured to Will and Sonny to follow her, and her little group left the Horton House.

Not one of them even looked back once.


	18. Chapter 18

The baby monitor sang with the voice of a crying baby girl. Will woke up, checked the beautiful man beside him to see if he was stirring, and noticed that he was. Will leaned in to Sonny's ear, kissed it and said: **"Hey, Babe, I got this one." **As Will got out of bed, he glanced at the clock. It read 5:00 a.m. That meant that Little Ari had slept a whole 5 hours. Good for her.

Will sauntered into the room next door, where Little Ari was now just waking up. His thigh, where the bullet entered and then exited, was still hurting, but was now down to a dull ache. He smiled at that, things were finally getting better. His leg was healing, Little Ari was finally back with them, and the three of them would eventually be a family living in a nice house.

But until then there were still some unpleasant things to get through, like Gabi's funeral later this morning and changing Little Ari's diaper. Will smiled at that last. Sure, changing diapers was unpleasant, but it was also part of Little Ari's life and therefore one of his best activities of the day.

Will picked up his slightly fussing baby girl and hummed a hello to her. He then changed her diaper and was about to head to the fridge to get a bottle to heat up when he felt very familiar arms wrap around his waist and the wonderful sensation of rather familiar breath flowing by his earlobe. After he quickly calmed himself down, he said:

**"Sonny…I wanted you to sleep in. That's why I didn't wake you…."**

Sonny just smiled at that. He had heard his daughter fussing over the monitor and then had heard his life-partner stir and, as usual, selflessly get up, even though it wasn't his turn. Sonny then heard Will starting to hum little tunes to Arianna Grace, to try to get her to calm down. It usually worked. Sonny loved to hear Will hum to Little Ari; the sound of Will's singing was sweet and light, and like many things about Will, Will had no idea just how nice his singing sounded. It was another endearing quality that Sonny just couldn't get enough of:

**"I couldn't help it Babe. I wanted to be near my two favorite people."**

Sonny kissed the nape of Will's neck, released him and walked to the fridge to get Little Ari's bottle. He warmed it up, all the while listening to Will hum to his daughter; rocking her and cooing to her.

When Little Ari was fed and burped and rocked back to sleep it was close to 7:00 a.m. Sonny took Will by the hand, who was just standing and stare-smiling at his baby girl. Sonny led Will back to their bedroom. They didn't have to get up for another couple of hours. The funeral was and 11:00 a.m., again at St-Luke's and again, Will's uncle Eric would officiate the ceremony.

Father Eric had come by the day after Nick's funeral, so yesterday, in order to talk to Will about what Will should expect at Gabi's funeral. He took that opportunity to apologize to Will about how he was treated in the church the day before. Father Eric assured Will that what was said by Nick's father wasn't felt by most people, and that nothing like that would be tolerated at Gabi's funeral, and these were directives by Gabi's mother and by Rafe.

Father Eric talked to Will about Gabi, in order to get another perspective on who she was, and he also wanted a little idea about what Will was going to say about Gabi. His reasoning being that he wanted people to have as well-rounded view of Gabi as was appropriate for a funeral. There was no use in people repeating themselves.

Will told his uncle that he wasn't sure what to say at the funeral. He was never good at expressing his feelings. When he did it usually came out all wrong. Father Eric told his nephew that whatever he decided to say, whatever stories he told, if it came from the heart, then it would be good enough. He also told Will that talking about Gabi with someone else would also help him.

When Sonny and Will reached their bed, Sonny laid himself on it, pulling Will to him. Will snuggled up to Sonny, laying his head on Sonny's chest. He started telling Sonny about what he planned on saying about Gabi at the funeral.

Sonny let Will talk things through. He didn't want Will to be nervous. But being this close to Will and being awake, was a bit too much for him. He started playing with Will's hair and then massaging Will's ear.

When Will was just about finished talking through his speech, Sonny lifted Will's head up and turned it so that he could lay his lips on Will's. Will moaned through the kiss. And even though both were tired, they proceeded to pleasure each other, with touches, caresses in intimate places and other intimate gestures. They eventually fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Will, Sonny and Arianna Grace (All bundled up in her car-seat-bassinet) were once again at St-Luke's. Accompanying them were the usual suspects, Sami and Marlena, Adrienne, Justin, Victor and Maggie. Sami and Marlena elected to sit in back, Victor decided to sit with Sami and Marlena, which surprised Maggie, and so she also sat in the back.

Will and Sonny, with their daughter, went to the front pews where they were greeted by Gabi's mother, Dario and Rafe, who was in a wheel chair, since he was still unable to get around properly. Beside Rafe was Will's grandmother, Kate (And this explained why Sami and Marlena elected to stay in the back).

Mrs. Hernandez asked if she could hold her granddaughter and Will and Sonny did not hesitate to grant her that privilege. When everyone stood up, Will looked towards the main doors of the church. A lone person pushed a rather ornate cart with Gabi's coffin on it. It was a closed coffin.

While Sonny was facing the back of the church, he was able to scan the room. To his astonishment he found that Jennifer Deveraux had accompanied Abigail and Chad. Also, Nick's parents were also there. Sonny hoped that Sami wouldn't see them. He was afraid that she would react impulsively.

Father Eric started the ceremony with prayers and he briefly talked about Gabi and her life. Sonny stood up and went to the podium where he read a Bible passage. Then Father Eric asked Gabi's brother Dario to come up and speak about Gabi. Dario stepped towards the podium and Father Eric positioned himself in back of Dario and placed a hand on Dario's shoulder, a gesture meant to comfort.

Dario spoke about his younger sister's life as a child. How she was intelligent, how she always seemed to seek the attention of her older siblings. Dario jokingly called her **"somewhat of a nuisance"** at the age of seven. He had to stop a few times, because his emotions were raw.

He finished his eulogy with the thought that Gabi would have loved to see her little girl in the arms of her two dads. That he knew Gabi would be proud of Will and of Sonny, because he knew she thought they would know how to bring up her little girl. That is why she had chosen Sonny to be Little Ari's legal guardian.

Dario's comment brought on a brief outburst from the back of the church. When Sonny turned around he could see Nick's father being forced down by his wife, who whispered, loudly: **"Joshua, sit down, you'll embarrass yourself!"**

Dario, ignored that comment and invited Will to come up and say a few words. Before Will could leave his seat, Sonny grabbed Will's arm, leaned close, and whispered in Will's ear: **"Last chance if you want me to come up with you…"**

Will turned towards Sonny and instead of a verbal reply; he simply looked into Sonny's chocolaty eyes, smiled and subtly shook his head. He then leaned in and gave Sonny a gentle loving peck on the lips. Will's eyes said everything that he needed to say. Sonny's presence was a comfort. Just being near was enough.

Will had expected Dario to go back to his seat next to his mother, but he stayed next to the podium and gestured Will towards the microphone. Will stepped forward and as he was putting his notes in place he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked back to quickly thank his Uncle, but found that Dario was there instead. Will's eyes started to water. He quickly mouthed a thank you and turned towards the parishioners in front.

The Hernandez family had asked Father Eric if they could do that gesture. They wished the funeral attendees to know that the Hernandez family supported Will and Sonny, and accepted them. Father Eric had agreed, with a smile.

Will immediately brought his focus onto Sonny. Sonny was Will's rock, and had been from almost the very moment they met. Will would speak to Sonny. This would allow him to be less nervous. It would allow him to say what needed to be said:

**"Gabi was my best friend, for a long time. Even after my focus changed and my best friend became Sonny, Gabi and I were still very good friends. She was happy that I was finally happy with who I am. "**

Will explained that Gabi had been there when he was down and that as a result, a miracle happened: the miracle that was Arianna Grace Gabriella Horton. Will stated that he would never forget Gabi because when he looked at his daughter he would always be reminded of Gabi, and the gift that Gabi had given to him and to Sonny:

**"Gabi, I hope that you forgive me. If I hadn't tried to be the hero, I wouldn't have caused events to happen which ultimately led to you being hit by fragments of a stray bullet. I hope you can forgive me, because I know that I will never forgive myself. My daughter…our daughter…will never have the privilege to meet you. But I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure that she knows you…"**

Before Will could say anything more he was interrupted by Joshua Fallon, who had stood up and started to shout:

**"What about my son?! Are you going to ask for his forgiveness?" **He looked around the congregation and said, in an intolerant and belligerent tone: **"I can't believe that you all tolerate this pervert."**

Will was shocked. He wasn't sure what to say. He saw Sonny shoot up out of his seat to face Mr. Fallon. And then he heard his Uncle Eric say:

**"Mr. Fallon, this is a solemn ceremony in memory of Gabi Hernandez. Two days ago, I allowed you a certain lee-way out of respect for you and your deceased son; but Gabi's family have a different perspective when it comes to Will Horton. If you cannot respect that, I suggest you leave."**

As Will heard his uncle speaking, he felt the pressure on his shoulder from Dario Hernandez's hand increase and he felt himself being led away from the podium towards the stairs leading to the pews. He felt himself being led down to the pews; and when his uncle had finished speaking, Will heard Dario say:

**"But not before I have a chance to say something…Mr. Fallon…You accused Will of murdering your son. In actual fact he tried to save your son, more than once…from men carrying guns and from himself. My family recognizes that Will Horton is a hero. He tried to save Gabi and he had succeeded until your son shot him."**

Dario went on to say to Joshua Fallon that it was fragments from a bullet shot from a gun that his son Nick was holding that caused complications during the delivery of his niece. Nick was responsible for Gabi's death, not Will:

**"I could blame your son…and you…but I won't. My sister is dead. Your son is dead. Nick was responsible for the choices he made, not Will. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will be at peace."**

Joshua Fallon could not handle the reality of the truths that Dario was speaking. He ran out of the church followed reluctantly by his wife. Dario, who had not let go of Will's shoulder, leaned and whispered to Will: **"You were saying?"**

Will heard what Dario had asked him, but he could not speak. He bent his head while looking at Sonny pleadingly. Sonny knew exactly what Will wanted. He stood up and went to Mrs. Hernandez, stooped down in front of her and asked if he could borrow his daughter for a little while.

Mrs. Hernandez smiled and handed an alert, smiling Arianna Grace to her Papa. Sonny then walked past Gabi's coffin, towards the large portrait of her that had been placed to one side. He then took his daughter and positioned her in such a way that she could see her mother's portrait and he said:

**"Little Ari, this is Mommy. Mommy can't be with you…but I want to make you a promise…in front of your Mommy's family and friends, that your Daddy and your Papa will make sure that you develop a large place in your heart where your Mommy can be. We will make sure that you know your Mommy. We will make sure that your Mommy's family is in your life. Your Mommy gave you to me to take care of. I will not let your Mommy down."**

Dario felt Will lurch forward towards Sonny. He managed to keep his hand on Will's shoulder even after Will reached Sonny and landed a passionate kiss on Sonny's lips. It lasted quite a while.

Finally, Father Eric got things back on track by saying:

**"Will… Sonny…if you're done...can we get on with the ceremony? This is your friend's funeral...not your wedding."**

Will and Sonny, both rather embarrassed, went back to their seats, along with Dario and the ceremony continued…


	19. Chapter 19

Sonny and Will woke up at 5:00 a.m. Sonny had to go to work for 6:00 a.m. Will started the routine of changing and feeding Arianna Grace. Sonny needed to open the coffee-house and make sure everything was clean, that the coffee was made and that all the inventory of the day was ready; including making the in-house muffins and sandwiches, as well as making sure that the brought-in stuff was actually brought in, on time.

Sonny usually helped out during the morning rush when everyone wanted their first coffee-fix of the day. He truly enjoyed this time. It could be hectic, and there were a few customers that could be over-the-top in their demands; but all-in-all it was a pleasant experience. He enjoyed joking around with the staff, although everyone seemed to know the limit between joking and professionalism.

Yes, today had started out as a rather good day. And then Sonny saw Mr. Fallon walk in.

* * *

Will had finished changing and feeding Little Ari, and after a little father-daughter cuddle time, he placed her in her bassinet, gathered the essentials he would need during his errands and proceeded to meet his Grandmother Kate at a realtor's office.

Will was still uncomfortable with the idea of his and Sonny's relatives giving them enough money to buy a house; he tried to talk them all out of it, to no avail. He and Sonny both tried the We-want-to-do-this-on-our-own argument and got the You-have-enough-on-your-plate-What-is-wrong-with-u s-helping-you-Think-of-your-daughter response. Will and Sonny knew betterthen to try and convince their relatives to change their minds; although they did try anyway. But when you had Kate , Victor, Marlena, Sami, Justin and Adrienne all on the same side, for once. That task was all but impossible.

And so, when Will's Grandmother Kate 'suggested' (and yes, this is meant in the she-really-really-didn't-take-no-for-an-answer sense), he decided to tag along (give in to her nagging).

Kate took her grandson and her great-granddaughter to one of the top realtors in Salem. And Will should have realized what he was getting into when Maurice suggested they look at a condo in the warehouse district that was going for 'only' a half-million dollars.

* * *

Sonny let out a loud sigh, and shook his head as he saw a rather perturbed looking Joshua Fallon strutting angrily towards the counter. Sonny anticipated that Joshua would cut in line and go directly to him, so he finished with his present customer as quickly as he could without being rude, and signaled to one of his staff to take over. He then stepped aside and signaled to Nick's father to come forward towards him:

**"Hello Mr. Fallon, what can I do for you this fine morning?"**

Mr. Fallon didn't waste time with pleasantries. He immediately got to the point and demanded to see Will. Sonny, even though he was expecting Mr. Fallon to be rude, was still taken aback by the vehemence of his tone and the spitefulness of his rudeness.

Sonny invited Joshua Fallon to the back-office to make sure that his customers were not disturbed or disrupted by any unseemly conduct that may arise, mostly by Joshua Fallon. He then informed Mr. Fallon that Will wasn't here. Sonny stated that Will didn't work at the coffee-house; that he was at home with Arianna Grace. Sonny then asked what this was all about. Mr. Fallon became rather agitated. He wanted to see who he called his grand-daughter. When Sonny explained that Little Ari was in no way related to Nick Fallon, much less Nick's father, Joshua Fallon became seriously upset.

He demanded visitation rights to ensure that Arianna Grace was brought up to a certain standard and with a certain moral code:

**"My son died trying to protect that girl and I will make sure that she is."**

Mr. Fallon went on to say that he had contacted child services and that he expected that they would ensure that Will and Sonny hand over the child or at the very least they would make sure that the child wasn't neglected.

This is when Sonny lost patience. He tried to be like Will, understanding and sensitive, but this was too much. He told Joshua that he could call child services as much as he liked, but Sonny had full custody of Arianna Grace, and soon, so will Will. They already have had and will continue to have visits from child services. So calling them was rather moot. He then began a more personal rant:

**"Mr. Fallon, your son died because he used my daughter as an excuse not to look inward to his own demons. I suspect that your son was raped in prison. He reacted badly, taking it out on Will and me. I suspect that if he had not been bombarded by the nonsense you have been spewing, he would have sought help and he certainly wouldn't have stolen my daughter away!"**

Sonny then told Mr. Fallon that he perhaps should seek psychological help. He also told Mr. Fallon that if he went anywhere near Will or Arianna Grace, he would have the police on his ass. Sonny also told Mr. Fallon to leave his coffee-house and to not return:

**"If you do, I will have the police charge you with trespassing. My daughter, my fiancé and I do not have to put up with the likes of you!"**

Thankfully, Joshua was too shocked from Sonny's outburst to react much. He simply left the coffee-house, fuming. Sonny, after calming down for a few minutes messages Will:

**"Hey Beautiful, something weird happened. Nick's dad showed up. Tell you about it later. Love you."**

* * *

Will had tried to convince Maurice and his grandmother that a half-million dollar home just wasn't what he and Sonny needed He was sure that there were more modest homes that were just as suitable to their needs. Kate was adamant that Will keep an open mind. Maurice was one of the best realtors in town and he knew what an up-and-coming couple like Will and Sonny needed.

They got to the condo, and it looked clean, but rather industrial. There was an elevator, going to their floor but it was one of those industrial elevators with vertically opening doors; not very convenient when you have your hands full with a baby and all the baby's things.

Will stepped into the apartment and gazed around. It was beautiful. But right away Will saw a problem. There was an enormous staircase going up to a second floor; much too wide for any baby-gate that he knew of. There were jagged metal edges all over the place; since this had originally been a warehouse. There was a balcony that looked very unsafe for a toddler. All things he didn't have to worry about now, but he would soon enough.

Maurice took them on a tour. There were two bedrooms on the ground floor. And Maurice suggested that one of them could be the baby's room and the other an office. When Will frowned at the prospect of Little Ari being that far away from her parent's at night, to his credit, Maurice had picked up on that; his solution was perhaps the third bedroom could be the nanny's room.

Will simply wanted to leave. His grandmother Kate also seemed a little put off by this apartment. She voiced her concern to Maurice:

**"Maurice dear, you did realize that Will and Sonny have a child, who will be living with them didn't you?"**

Maurice smiled, a smile that said, of course (meaning of course: I really didn't think two young gay men would have a baby full time, I mean why would they? But I need to seem genuine if I want to make this sale).

It ended with Kate saying that Will and she would get in touch with him in a few days, and that she hoped he would have more suitable choices by then.

Will messaged Sonny: **_"Hey Babe, just finished a house tour. Terrible. Apparently the realtor thought Little Ari was a lap-dog. TTYS. Love u"_**

* * *

Sonny had spent the day supervising the making of the coffee varieties and the teas, the making of the sandwiches and muffins, and the cash register. He went into the back office and paid some bills, argued with some suppliers and followed up on a potential contract to supply coffee to some nearby office buildings.

Chad and Sonny then began a series of meetings by video conference with architects and various financial institutions and investment firms. These meetings culminated in the decision to go ahead with the plans for expansion. Four locations had been scouted and approved, and the process to procure the properties had now been started. The architectural plans for the interior and exterior of the coffee-houses had been approved. Needless to say this had been a very productive and fruitful set of meetings and Chad and Sonny were very excited.

Sonny texted Will: **_"Woohoo! Plans have been approved for the 4 c-h's. We will need to celebrate! Love you Babe!"_**

* * *

Kate apologized to Will about the choice of dwelling and said that she would make sure that Will's criteria were taken more into consideration the next time. Will was a little discouraged by what had happened. He wished he could be more assertive like Sonny was. He decided to take a walk with Little Ari, and go and visit Sonny at Common Grounds, before heading home.

On his way there he saw a sign in a shop window: Family Oriented Realtors. Will thought that this might be just what he and Sonny were looking for; a realtor that had families in mind when picking out a home. Little Ari had been extremely good so far today. He'd fed her and changed her after the disaster that was the first appointment of the day, and she seemed like she was in a rather jovial mood.

Will entered the office and was greeted by a rather small-statured woman with stern features. She wore a rather conservative plain looking outfit, and her hair was twisted in a tight bun.

She greeted him rather warmly, although with a certain unnamed hesitance. She commented that he looked rather young to be looking to buy a house. Will stated that he would be getting help from relatives; that his fiancé was rather successful in business. Since his child's mother died, his family wanted to make sure that he, his fiancé and his daughter would have as secure a future as they could provide.

Will saw that the woman's expression looked rather strained when he mentioned the fact that Gabi had died. He wondered why that would make a difference then he realized that the woman probably thought that he had cheated on Gabi, so he explained that he and Gabi had ended their relationship before they knew they were having a baby and that in fact, both he and Gabi had started separate relationships; Gabi had in fact married.

Will wondered why he thought he needed to explain all this. There was just something in the way the woman was looking at him that made it necessary. Sonny wouldn't have bothered. Will thought this was just another of his many faults that he would have to change. Thank goodness he had Sonny as an example.

The explanation seemed to be enough because the woman started to expound on the virtues of family oriented communities. Most communities were faith-based but not all; and there were communities in various price-points, so there was something for everyone.

Will was then shown pictures of various houses. He wanted to look at more modest neighbourhoods, nothing too fancy. He found some very nice houses, with porches, nice landscaping, even white picket fences, with moderate sized rooms. He looked at his watch and noticed that it was getting to be time to head to CG and meet Sonny. He arranged appointments to see several houses; but then he said something that changed everything:

**"I can't wait to show Sonny some of these photos. He's going to love them…"**

The woman's eyes went wide. She grabbed the photos and the pamphlets out of his hands and demanded that he leave immediately. Will was flabbergasted and he asked what he did wrong.

The woman blurted out with severe vehemence: **"Your fiancé is a man? You came in here trying to infiltrate yourself into our community, propagating your abomination of a relationship, poisoning our lives! Is that child even yours? Homosexuals can't have children! And if she is your child…then she should be taken from you…you have no right to raise a child. And you certainly aren't welcome here!"**

Will was seriously taken aback by this change in hospitality. There was a time when he would be averse to confront this woman. He would have thought that deep down she was right and that he must have done something to deserve her outburst. Having Sonny as a life-partner changed all that. Now, he was more inclined to confront her. But there was now the issue of a sleeping Arianna Grace. This woman had almost started shouting and Arianna Grace was in danger of being disturbed. Will went on the defensive in as calm and moderate a voice as he could:

**"Lady, you need to calm down. If you continue to shout, you will wake up my daughter. I will leave here. Not because you scare me, but because my daughter shouldn't have to be subjected to bigoted-loud mouths like you. I will, however, be having the authorities investigate you; seems to me, in this State, you can't discriminate against people like you are doing."**

Will grabbed Little Ari's bassinet and the large carry-on, walked out the door and headed towards Common grounds. Before he started out, he texted Sonny:

**"Babe, the perfect house is full of bigots…I'll explain later…Coming to CG…SYIAB"**

* * *

Before they headed home Sonny had greeted Will at Common Grounds with some trepidation. He was a little worried about Will's last text. While holding his daughter in his arms, Sonny let Will talk about his day, and the fact he couldn't believe that there were so many people who didn't get Will and Sonny's family situation; although based on today's evidence one was more out of ignorance and the other was more out of hate.

Will was proud to learn that Sonny's plans were coming to a head. He was worried that Sonny was going to be very busy in the next little while but he understood that Sonny was just trying to ensure his family's future. Will also knew that Sonny would be there for him and for their daughter, because Sonny knew that he was more than just a provider.

Sonny was glad that Will had stood up for himself. He knew they would find a place that would be perfect for them. And he knew that Will could and would handle it.

Both Sonny and Will were worried about what Joshua Fallon might do. But they planned on being ready for him. They had ample support behind them. They had the law on their side.

As they left Common Grounds to head home, Will gave his fiancé a prolonged and passionate kiss. Afterwards he said**: "Sonny, thank you for helping to shape me into me." **Sonny smiled and said:** "Likewise, Beautiful…Likewise." **And the family headed home.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: The following chapter is not meant to be political. It is simply a reflection of my own beliefs and reflects my own spiritual journey. I hope I have not offended anyone. If I have, I apologize in advance. Thank you for reading on. And thank you all again for your support and reviews.**

* * *

It had been a few days since Will and Sonny had their respective confrontations. Will had talked to his Aunt Hope about his particular confrontation, and she promised that someone would look into that particular organization. Sonny's problem hadn't materialized (shown up again), and so Sonny figured Mr. Fallon must have rethought his position; or at least thought better of continuing a confrontation.

Just for peace of mind, Sonny had asked his father to make inquiries about what Joshua Fallon had threatened. Justin came back rather quickly saying that according to his contacts at Child Services, Joshua had talked with CS and CS had said that they would give his comments and accusations the attention they deserved, which wasn't much attention at all. And that news did give Sonny a good amount of peace of mind.

Will wasn't so fortunate. Something had been nagging at his mind for a while now, and since the incident with the realtor and the reasons for her prejudice against families like Will's, this something had come to the forefront: Little Ari's christening.

And it wasn't just the christening; it was what the christening represented. Will had grown up Catholic, heck his Uncle Eric was a Catholic priest, but for the last little while, Will has been disenfranchised and disillusioned by his Church, at least by certain policies propagated by the upper echelon of his Church. He wasn't sure where he stood. He certainly knew where Sonny and he stood as a couple in the eyes of the Catholic Church; but what about Arianna Grace? Should he and Sonny have Little Ari christened in the Catholic Church, by his Uncle Eric? just to make his family and Gabi's family happy? He wasn't even sure where the Kiriakis Family fit in all this.

Will realized that he and Sonny needed to discuss this and get on the same page. He was already getting little hints from Gabi's mother that she wanted to talk to them again about Little Ari's christening. His Mom and his Uncle Eric had also let out little hints the last time he saw each of them. This might very well become an explosive and divisive issue (these never seem to stop coming their way), and Will wanted to stop (or at least diminish the fall-out of) any conflict before it started.

When Sonny came home that night, after a rather long day at Common Grounds, Will, who was rocking Little Ari to sleep, after what was for her a rather busy day, decided that now wast as good a time as any to broach the subject.

After greeting Sonny with a light kiss and handing a sleeping and very relaxed Little Ari over to her Papa, so that Sonny could have some Little Ari time, Will went for broke and brought up the issue:

**"Sonny, you believe in God, right?"**

Sonny was surprised at that question. This wasn't a subject that Will and he had discussed very often. They had talked about it a little bit when Will found out that his Uncle Eric had become a priest, but the issue wasn't at the forefront of any discussion.

Sonny did however have a good idea why Will would ask that kind of question, and so he replied honestly:

**"Will, you know I do. I do have a problem with most religions; especially with the religion that you were brought up with…but also mine…This is about getting Little Ari baptized isn't it?"**

Will looked at Sonny, who was rocking little Ari. Will shouldn't have been surprised that Sonny could just cut-to-the-chase and get right to the meat of what Will was really asking, but he was. His cheeks reddened a little; he became slightly embarrassed, for some reason; but he did continue:

**"Yes Sonny, it is."**

Sonny knew that Will would bring this subject up sooner or later. Sonny hadn't been in that much of a rush to discuss the topic; they had had many more important things to think about. But since Little Ari was now almost three weeks old now, it was time to start thinking about these things:

**"Will, I have thought about it. You know that I can't abide being part of something that would rather I not even exist. My family has distanced itself from our own church because of me. But I asked myself a certain question and I gave myself an answer, so let's see if you come up with the same one."**

Sonny explained to Will that he would ask the question, they would wait and at the count of three they would both answer. Will agreed, with a smile, and Sonny began:

**"Would Little Ari be baptized at St-Luke's Church, by your Uncle Eric, if Gabi were still alive?"**

At the count of three, a count made with exaggerated finger gestures, both young men answered, together:** "Yes."**

Sonny smiled and said**: "Then Will, that is the reason to do it."**

Will also smiled, went up to Sonny, leaned in and kissed him, then very lightly kissed Little Ari:** "I'll call Uncle Eric tomorrow"**

* * *

Will had Arianna Grace all bundled up and had just opened the door of Common Grounds in order to meet with his Uncle Eric, when he heard a very familiar voice from the counter say:

**"Hey Babe! I've reserved our table, in the corner, for the meeting with Uncle Eric, he called to make sure there were enough seats for some reason, I told him the booth seats six, and he said that that should be enough."**

Will took a seat and settled in with Little Ari, took out of her bassinet and started playing with her. Sonny, who was still at the counter, was slightly distracted by the fact that the two loves of his life were near him, and were acting very cute together.

A few minutes later Father Eric walked in with what looked like another priest, Gabi's mother and Dario. Mrs. Hernandez's presence at this meeting was a surprise to Will. He certainly wasn't expecting this; and the presence of so many people brought on a slight feeling of foreboding.

Will stood up, baby in hand (in one full arm actually) and greeted everyone. His Uncle Eric introduced Will to the only person Will didn't know, The reverend Henry Fitz. Will was about to ask why everyone was here, when Mrs. Hernandez indicated that everyone should have a seat and she also asked if she could hold her granddaughter. Everyone got comfortable on the booth, including Sonny, and Will handed a rather smiley and giggly Arianna Grace over to her grandmother. A barrista took everyone's coffee order.

Father Eric got straight to the point of why everyone was here:

**"Will and Sonny, thank you for your call yesterday. I am glad that you are thinking about the spiritual welfare of your daughter. Before we start, Mrs. Hernandez has asked that she be allowed to say something to you."**

Mrs. Hernandez began by stating: **"Sonny…Will…I have a feeling that you decided to go ahead with this christening...in memory of my daughter…"**

She looked towards Will and Sonny with such deep affection that both young men couldn't help but tell the truth and nod their assent. Mrs. Hernandez acknowledged both of them and then continued:

**"I suspect, because of your…situation…that normally, you would probably forgo this particular ritual… I am also correct?"**

And again, both young men nodded.

Mrs. Hernandez nodded to them and then glanced at Father Eric who continued the conversation:

**"Boys, I suspect that you both have reservations where it pertains to the Catholic Church. I do know that Will is a believer. He may not feel welcome in the Church…" Father Eric then, curiously, looked at father Fitz and continued: "…my Church…But he does still believe in the existence of God and still wishes to be a part of something…and I suspect that Sonny…you feel the same way…"**

Again, Both Sonny and Will nodded. Neither one of them could fathom where this conversation was going…but it didn't seem as if it was going to be fun. To both their surprise, it was the reverend Fitz that began to speak:

**"Sonny and Will…what Mrs. Hernandez and Father Eric are trying not to say…because…frankly…it is both maddening and embarrassing…is that the Catholic Bishop of this diocese, because of pressure from a certain Joshua Fallon…has decided that Father Eric or any Roman Catholic priest in his diocese…is not allowed to baptize your daughter…because of your…declared relationship… with one another…"**

Sonny and Will were both ready to pounce with claws out and were ready to strike, when they were stopped by an unlikely source, at least unlikely to them. Mrs/ Hernandez began to speak:

**"Now Boys! Coming out with guns blazing, although understandable, would be…in this case…counterproductive. Please listen to Father Fitz."**

It was, however, Father Eric that continued the conversation. He explained to Sonny and to Will that he had received word that the baptism was not to be allowed to proceed. He then contacted Mrs. Hernandez to propose a solution. Will's Uncle Eric explained that he went to Mrs. Hernandez first, because he suspected that she and her daughter were the main reasons for Sonny and Will to even consider baptizing Arianna Grace. And he wanted her approval before he proposed a solution.

At this point, Father Fitz chimed in again: **"The solution being me…"**

This produced the expected reaction from both Will and Sonny. They both expressed their extreme surprise, by gasping. It made Father Fitz smile rather broadly as he continued to speak:

**"Will…Sonny…I am an Episcopal Priest. I am married and I am gay."**

This produced the expected jaw-dropping effect from both Will and Sonny. It was Mrs. Hernandez that continued the conversation. She acknowledged to both Will and Sonny that she had had the same reaction that they did. But then she realized that this was actually a rather good compromise. She admitted that normally she wouldn't never have considered this alternative. To her, the Catholic Church was THE Church and the only salvation for her granddaughter's soul.

But the fact that HER Church would reject two young men, obviously in love with each other and with her granddaughter, and perfectly capable of raising her with good, sound judgement and morals; well that Church was obviously flawed. It was also her daughter's wish that Arianna Grace be placed in their care. Her daughter was smart; therefore, they must be worth something.

Father Fitz continued to speak after Mrs. Hernandez had finished:

**"I would be delighted to perform the baptismal ceremony on your daughter gentlemen. But I don't want this to be just ceremony."**

Father Fitz wanted Will and Sonny to attend his church, St-John's The Elder Salem. If they felt comfortable there, if they felt that they and their daughter could benefit from attending his church, and he would hope on a regular basis, then he would be delighted to perform the ceremony. He didn't want it to be just for ceremony's sake or even just for the memory of Arianna Grace's deceased mother; although he did concede that that was an understandable reason.

Dario Hernandez then chimed in and gave his two-cents:

**"Will, I've known you for a long time. I know that in your own way you did love my sister. I respect you for being brave enough to follow your own truth. I know my sister would want you to be happy. I also know that she trusted that you and Sonny could raise her daughter. If you agreed to go to Father Fitz's church, I will accompany you. Gabi would want you and Sonny to be surrounded by family. And Will, through Arianna Grace, we ARE family."**

Will could not contained his emotions any longer, he stood up, scooted out of his seat, walked towards Dario and hugged him tightly: **"Thanks Dario for today and for what you did at the funeral. It meant a lot then and it means so much to me and Sonny now."**

Will went to Mrs. Hernandez and hugged her. He then briefly looked at Sonny for approval. He received it by a simple look. He then turned to his Uncle and hugged him. He tilted his head toward Father Fitz and said:** "Reverend Fitz, Sonny and I accept your offer."**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing this s/l. I would also like to iterate that I am not trying to be political in this story. I am simply setting a tone, and drawing on my own beliefs in order to create a story and develop the characters in a way that makes sense to me. Thank you for your patience and thank you , again, for reading.**

* * *

On Sunday morning Sonny and Will got up at their usual time, which was rather early. They woke up when Little Ari did, as they had trained themselves to do. This time they both got up and shared the morning routine. Arianna Grace was changed, fed and burped, and then clothed in an adorable little outfit . Then they took turns holding and playing with their daughter.

They went downstairs at around 7:30 a.m. to have breakfast with the family. Sami and Marlena, Mrs. Hernandez, Maggie and Adienne were all there, along with Victor, Dario and Justin. As everyone was passing the ham, eggs, sausage and hash-browned potatoes around, Arianna was also passed around from person to person, without much of a fuss. She was getting used to all the attention.

The women, with Maggie as spokesperson, asked yet again if Sonny and Will wanted the women to go with them to church this morning. And as Sonny and Will had decided, Sonny spoke for the couple. They knew that at least one of the group was going to bring the subject up again.

**"Ladies, Will and I haven't changed our minds. We really do appreciate the offer, and we would still like Dario to come along, but if this is going to be a test of whether we would fit in, then perhaps not having too many people along would be a good thing."**

Will chimed in by stating that if they decided to continue to go to the church, perhaps some of them come accompany Will, Sonny and Arianna at a later date. That was a good enough compromise for the women. Although they now started arguing about who would be accompanying the boys first.

After breakfast, and just before they were to head out with Dario, Victor asked the boys if they were available to accompany him somewhere after church. They asked Victor where they would be going but Victor simply smiled and said: **"You'll see"**

* * *

Dario, Sonny, Will, and Little Ari (asleep in her bassinet) stepped into the main entrance of St-John the Elder Salem. The outside of the church was white-washed planks. The steeple was long and narrow. There was a plaque at the entrance stating that this was the second incarnation of St-John the Elder; the first church was too small for a growing congregation and so they tore it down and rebuilt a much bigger one.

The interior was not pretentious. It was very 'old church' but also rather modern in its feel. There were stained-glass windows, some in traditional biblical scenes and some in geometrical patterns.

As the three men walked in with baby in bassinet, there were two greeters at the door. They must have been given descriptions and advance notice that the boys were coming because they knew who Sonny and Will were; they knew about Little Ari and they asked who their friend was.

The lady greeter, Nancy, then took them upstairs to the balcony. At the very back of the balcony were glass doors. She opened them and showed the group a rather large room with a bathroom on one side and a large changing-table room on the other. The center of the room was filled with toys for babies and toddlers. This was the less-than-two year-old room. If the baby or the toddler had a meltdown then the rooms were pretty sound-proofed. Nancy indicated that they certainly did not have to stay up here, but it was available if they needed it.

Since Arianna was still asleep they went downstairs and sat in the middle aisle near the center. The organist came into view, and started playing a Bach prelude, rather beautifully. Then an announcer stood up and welcomed everyone. She invited everyone downstairs for refreshments after the service. The opening hymn was announced and everyone stood up.

A procession started. More than two dozen people in red robes singing the hymns; the choir began to walk by in centre aisle. Then several others and at the end was Father Fitz in his white robes. This had a very Roman Catholic feel to it. Dario even remarked on it: **"This feels very familiar…"**

The opening prayers were very similar to the Catholic ones, even the readings were basically the same. The psalms were chanted in a modernized version of a very old tradition. Then came father Fitz's sermon.

Father Fitz stood up and talked about what it meant to be Christian. He mentioned that Jesus had asked us to love our neighbours: **"But what is a neighbour? Is it only someone with whom we live nearby? Someone that only has a similar colour to us? Our own political beliefs? Likes the same movies? What if they were gay? Or they actually liked broccoli? What then? Where do we draw the line?"**

Father Fitz explained loving someone who you don't agree with, or who does things that you think are wrong, might be the hardest thing to do, but that is actually what Jesus wanted us to do. At least that is what Father Fitz thought.

Dario, Will and Sonny were each very surprised when Father Fitz actually invited his congregation to read the passages he had quoted and to think on it. They looked around and saw people nodding. He must do this kind of thing all the time. It was refreshing to actually be invited to think instead of being told what to think.

Little Ari had started to stir and so Sonny took her up to the change rooms. When he arrived there were quite a few toddlers busying away, chilling out with their toys and each other while their parents tried to pay attention to the service. Sonny changed Little Ari's diaper and started to coo at her when another parent walked in and introduced herself.

She asked if Sonny was new here and if he had come with anyone. He said that he had. That he and his fiancé, the baby's father, were here with the baby's to check the place out. He had said it that way deliberately. He wanted to judge people's true reaction. And her's was a rather typical reaction for that place:

**"Oh! You and her father are getting married?! That's wonderful!"** She then asked what their plans were and then went on to gush about Little Ari, once Little Ari started to giggle.

Sonny had come back down, with a now rather alert Arianna Grace, wriggling in her bassinet. Father Fitz was at the point of consecrating the bread and the wine. At the end he stated:

**"This is not just an Episcopal table, this is God's Table. Everyone is welcome at God's table."**

Dario decided to remain where he was, as did Sonny, but Will decided to take communion. He brought Little Ari. And when it was their turn, Father Fitz gave Will his wafer and bent down to bless Little Ari, saying:

**"Lord, bless this child. She will grow up surrounded by love. Let her be able to understand it, and give it. Let her truly understand the example of her parents."**

When the mass was over and everyone had gathered downstairs for coffee and treats, Sonny and Will and Dario were bombarded by questions and welcoming greetings from a variety of parishioners. They were interested in Little Ari and in why the group had decided to come. When Dario said he was there as moral support for the two fathers who were looking for a welcoming parish to possibly baptise their daughter, lots of people fawned praise over him.

A few members of the choir came up to Will and praised his singing. Will had been unaware that he had been singing loud enough for anyone to hear. When Father Fitz asked if they enjoyed themselves, they all nodded. And it was agreed that they would all be back next week, even Dario.

* * *

When they arrived back at the Kiriakis mansion they could not help but praise their experience as they talked about it to those that were gathered. The gatherers were the same people that were at breakfast, plus Kate Roberts who had now joined the group. They had lunch and then Victor asked everyone to hop in their cars and follow his limo. He wanted to show Will and Sonny something. Victor asked Sonny and Will to accompany him in the limo.

A convoy of cars left the Kiriakis mansion and proceeded to carve its way through several neighborhoods of Salem. They ended up in a rather old part of town. Will Horton recognized this neighborhood. His cousin Abigail's house was nearby.

The convoy came to a halt. Victor got out of the limo and directed Will and Sonny to a rather nice looking three story house, painted white with red trimming. There was a nice front garden, with flowers and bushes and rather large trees.

Victor waited for Kate and the others to congregate around the outside of the front door. Victor then said that this house had been recently renovated. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms with several other living spaces and a rather large kitchen.

When Will and Sonny entered the house they were surprised to see and rather overwhelmed that the house had been at least partially furnished. In what seemed to be the parlour, there were several antique chairs and tables and a wall that had Brady, Horton, and Kiriakis framed family photos; some were old and some quite new.

The kitchen was spectacular, with a large island in the middle and a small breakfast table in a corner. The appliances were all new and state-of-the-art. In another room that Kate called the family room there was a sofa and lounge chair set that happened to be the one that Sonny and Will had been eyeing for weeks, along with a flat screen television and an X-box system.

On the second floor there were two large bedrooms. One was an exact replica of Little Ari's room at the Kiriakis mansion. And on the other was the master bedroom. It was beautiful. It was very masculine and reflected Will and Sonny's taste almost perfectly. There was a large balcony overlooking the backyard, which not surprising was also beautifully landscaped and had a fenced in pool.

Will and Sonny had tears in their eyes. They looked at one another and both leaned into each other and kissed one another passionately. When they had recovered significantly enough to speak, Will took the reins this time:

**"This is perfect, but it's so large. There's still a third floor, what are we going to do with all this space? And…you must really think we would go for this, since you've already decorated…"**

Apparently Victor had been designated as spokesperson for this, since he laughed and said:

**"We thought you both would like it. There is some money designated for furnishings and entertainment systems. "**

Kate interjected and explained that they had gotten the property rather cheaply and if the boys really didn't like it, the property would sell rather well, or so she was told:

**"The condo shopping the other day had simply been an exercise in creating options"**

This remark had been met with a rather dark look from Victor:

**"We haven't actually come to the part that will probably sweeten the deal, at least for you Will…"**

When Will and Sonny both looked at the group with rather intrigued looks Victor smiled and continued:

**"This house was once owned by the Grayson, in fact we believe that a certain Alice Grayson Horton was born here, in this house…"**

Will couldn't believe what he was hearing: **"Great Grandma Alice was born in this house?"**

The look that Will gave Sonny when Will realized the historical significance to his family, was enough for Sonny to say: **"We'll take it"**

Justin, who had been waiting patiently for this very reaction came forward and said: **"That's great news. Sign here"** as he presented papers that would make Will and Sonny co-homeowners.

* * *

The sweet sound of Little Ari making sleep noises were heard from the baby monitor that was next to Will and Sonny as they spent their first late evening in their new house, in front of the TV watching a DVD. Sonny and Will were both cuddled together on the couch. When Will felt Sonny yawn, he stood up and presented a hand towards his fiancé who took it happily. Will led Sonny up the stairs to their bedroom.

Will undressed Sonny and then himself. He then prepared to curl himself inside of Sonny as he normally would. Sonny however had other ideas:

**"I'm not tired anymore",** he said while grinning from ear to ear. Will, himself smiling, said: **"I didn't think you'd stay tired for long."**

They spent quite a bit of their first night in their new home, exploring each other; making sure that each knew that their love for the other was stronger than ever.


	22. Chapter 22

It was now the middle of August. Little Ari was just over three months old now. Will and Sonny had been living in their new house with Little Ari for almost two months. They had fallen into a routine rather quickly. Little Ari was finally sleeping through the night on a regular basis.

The top floor had been converted into an office for Sonny and Will, in one room, and a yoga/exercise room in the other. The young parents and young child did not want for company. They had several visits a day from relatives and friends. Sonny and Chad spent a lot of time in the office going over plans for the four new Common Grounds that were slated to open starting in September.

Life at church was also good. Mrs. Hernandez had accompanied her son Dario, along with Sami and Marlena the following Sunday after their first visit to the church. The welcoming atmosphere had not changed; in fact they were even more ecstatic to see Sonny, Will, Dario and Little Ari return. The music director was on the verge of convincing Will to participate with the choir come September.

The last two months were very hectic; for Sonny because of business; for Will because of preparation for Little Ari's baptism, because they decided to go ahead with it. They also decided that they wanted to get married before Will went back to school.

They had settled on the date of August 17th for the wedding. Then they asked Father Fitz for two favours. One favour was could he bless their marriage after they were legally married? And the second was, could he baptize Arianna Grace at the same time?

Normally baptisms were performed on a Sunday, in front of the entire congregation, but Father Fitz decided it would be fine, especially since the congregation would be invited to attend both types of blessings, and some would be invited to the reception, which would be hosted by Victor Kiriakis and Kate Roberts at the Old Salem Country Club.

The actual marriage ceremony couldn't be performed in Salem, since same-sex marriage still was not legal in the state. The state did, however, recognize out-of state same-sex marriages , and so Sonny and Will had planned to go to New York to get legally married and then have the blessing in Salem.

Victor and Justin thought that this was a marvelous idea. They arranged for a federal judge in the city of New York to perform the marriage; the boys would fly to the city, get married, fly back and then have the baptism and the blessing.

And that is why Sonny and Will found themselves on a plane, very early in the morning, accompanied by Sami and Lucas, Adrienne and Justin, and the best man, for both Will and Sonny, which of course was Chad.

Will and Sonny had both asked Chad, separately, if he could be their best-man. Sonny had asked Chad first and Chad immediately said yes. A few hours later Will asked Chad the same question and Chad didn't know what to say. Chad couldn't say no to either one of them, so he held Will off for about an hour, arranged to get them both in the same room and sat them down and spelled out the situation. Will and Sonny both laughed and said that an unconventional wedding called for an unconventional best man situation; and Chad would be it.

Kate Roberts donated both wedding outfits from her own collection. They suited each man perfectly. Sonny's tuxedo was a charcoal gray with gray dress shirt and purple tie and vest. Will's was a white tux, with a white dress shirt and ocean-blue tie and vest.

The ceremony was very short; it didn't have to be a long one. Sami and Adrienne and Chad acted as witnesses. The judge, who was a mentor of Justin's, was rather solemn and direct in his presentation but it did suit the occasion.

Chad had been a little miffed that there hadn't been a bachelor party; but as Will had said to him:

**"Chad, Sonny and I have the same friends basically. They would have to choose between us, if we had separate stag parties. Having just one is kind of pointless, and we certainly won't be having any strippers."**

Chad questioned the logic of the last part. It was Sonny that pointed out the kind of strippers there would have to be. Chad, at first shrugged it off, until he realized there wouldn't be any female strippers, not for a Will and/or Sonny stag, so eventually he did agree, there wasn't any point to having one.

Chad did, however, help organize a rather elaborate and quite elegant rehearsal dinner at Chez Rouge, hosted by Adrienne and Sami.

The food was exceptional. But for Will the highlight of the evening was the speech that Adrienne gave. It was after the speech that his mother gave to Sonny:

**"My dear Sonny, thank you for being in my son's life. I know that you were a major reason my son finally decided to live an authentic life. If not for you, and my mother, I'm not sure if my son would still be with us. But he is, and you are. You are, and forever will be a son to me Sonny. Just don't do like me and mess things up."**

Adrienne's speech to Will actually made him cry:

**"My dear Will, I know I've told you this before. But I am truly sorry for what I said when you started dating my son. You are definitely good enough for my Sonny. This certainly isn't the life I envisioned for him, but Sonny has surprised me in quite a lot of ways. Will, you brought sunshine to my life, you and Gabi, in the form of my granddaughter, my Little Ari. Your actions have proven time and time again that you love my son. And I must say, I am glad to have you as a son, as part of the Kiriakis family."**

While on the plane, and surrounded by his two families, the newly wed William Robert Horton-Kiriakis presented something to his husband Jackson Steven (Sonny) Horton-Kiriakis. It was a certificate and some legal papers. These legal papers actually made him cry, which was a bonus. It was a re-issued birth certificate. The name on it said: Arianna Grace Gabriella Horton-Kiriakis; and the legal papers stated that a certain Arianna Grace Gabriella Horton-Kiriakis was now the daughter of William Robert Horton-Kiriakis and Jackson Steven Horton-Kiriakis.

Will handed Sonny his daughter, a gesture he had done countless times before. But this time he said: **"Sonny, meet your daughter…because now she isn't just your daughter in your heart and in mine, but the state thinks so too. We are officially a family now.**" There wasn't a dry eye on the airplane except for Little Ari who was gurgling to herself, in the arms of her Papa.

After the plane landed a convoy of limousines brought the wedding party to St-James the Elder Church in Salem. As they arrived they could see a large group of people gathered with placards and signs, they seemed to be shouting slogans, although at this point neither Sonny nor Will could hear anything since the limousine was well insulated.

Chad noticed the beginning of worry-lines forming on the two grooms' faces. He assured them that the 'protesters' were friendlies. They were there as a buffer between the wedding party and some organizations that had threatened to protest when they found out about the wedding. As the limousine drew closer Sonny and Will could see the signs, with slogans like 'Love is Love', 'Gay Dads ARE Real Dads", 'God LOVES Everybody' and 'LGBT Persons ARE ALSO Neighbours':

**"We've been told that there are protesters with nastier signs but you won't be able to see them or hear them. So don't even think about it."**

Sonny asked Chad how anyone knew that the protesters would be showing up and Chad answered that it was Jennifer Deveraux that had informed him that there might be some trouble. She had been approached by Joshua Fallon and a few others who thought that she would be interested in joining the protest.

Jennifer was apparently appalled that they would do such a thing. This was a private affair, there would be children there. And whatever her personal feelings she would be attending the blessing:

**"She said that she still had personal misgivings, but that you two had gone through so much to get where you are today, and that you deserved to celebrate your love without being harassed."**

Will and Sonny disembarked from their limo and Chad ushered both Sonny and Will, who was carrying Little Ari in her bassinet, into the church. The church's interior was covered in purple and blue violets, in very appropriate and strategic places. It was beautiful.

After all the greetings and the last minute reminders of how things were going to proceed, the ceremony started. The baptism was first and Father Fitz asked Sonny and Will if they had godparents to present to him and the congregation.

Sonny stood up and spoke that indeed they had, and he presented Dario Hernandez as godfather and Abigail Deveraux as godmother.

When Sonny and Will asked Dario to be godfather, he was thrilled. Will had said that as Arianna Grace's uncle he would always have a place in her life, but that he had demonstrated through his interactions with Will and Sonny that he would be a wonderful spiritual influence in their daughter's life as well. He would also be a tie to Gabi, a way for Little Ari to know her mother.

Abigail had also been thrilled. She had also gone to church with Will and Sonny and very much enjoyed herself. The boys had thought that as one of Gabi's closest friends, Abigail would be the perfect female influence in Little Ari's life. She would be able to tell Little Ari stories of her mother that even her fathers did not know. She would be able to be there for when Little Ari had questions only a woman could answer, although she may have to fight to be in line behind Sami and Adrienne.

The baptism ceremony started with Arianna Grace being presented to the congregation. The honour of presenting her was given to her Nana Hernandez. Arianna was playful as she was lifted up. Her long flowing Christening gown was perfect for the occasion. It was the gown her mother had been baptized in. When Mrs. Hernandez had presented the gown to Sonny and Will, it was anotherr misty-eyed moment.

The rather formal ceremony went off without a hitch; everyone remembering their part; and Little Ari even giggled through the pouring of the water on her head. She giggled as Father Fitz formally presented her to the congregation, and she giggled as she was put back into her bassinet.

It was then that the joyful duo-ceremony hit a bit of a snag. Just before the blessing of Sonny and Will's marriage was about to take place, and as both Will and Sonny had just taken their place in front of the altar; just as the choir had started to sing a hymn that Sonny and Will chose for the occasion, the doors to the front of the church flew open. Joshua Fallon ran into the church shouting obscenities and thoroughly rude homophobic remarks.

He stood in the middle of the church and demanded that this travesty of a celebration be stopped at once. And that is when the congregation and the guests rose as one, even Jennifer Deveraux.

To be continued…


	23. Chapter 23

Joshua Fallon was livid. First he had to find out that the protest he so diligently organized was being drowned out by counter protesters. This was totally unfair. How dare anyone mess with God's true message!

Then he couldn't organize his protesters to be more aggressive. It seems people were content to wave signs in the air and shout slogans, but really fighting…well he seemed to be the only one to really understand the stakes. If we allow blessings like this to go on, in any way shape or form, then God would surely get angry and punish us all.

So it was up to him. He needed to get organized. It took him a little while to do so. he went back home. He packed a bag with the things he would need and went back to the church. He was late. The ceremony might have already started. He knew that there would be a baptism first; and he knew approximately how long that would take.

He had returned to the church. The protesters were still drowned out by the blasphemers but they had thinned out just enough. He had pretended to be in a rush, a guest that was late. He was technically family after all. His invitation must have been forgotten.

He opened the doors to the church as forcefully as he could. He wanted to make an entrance. He had a message that he needed to send…to Will…to Sonny…to this misguided congregation…to the world.

He saw Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis, looking all happy and content, and something snapped; actually no…something clicked into place. All the rage and hatred, all the preconceptions and the prejudices, they all came to the forefront as Joshua raged:

**"You! You dirty fucking faggots! You unclean ungodly devils! How dare you show yourselves in a place of God! How dare you stand there and think that you…two sodomites…could possibly be worthy of God's blessing!"**

He turned to the congregation and continued his tirade:

**"And you all! How dare you denigrate the awesomeness, the sacredness of a marriage blessing! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"**

When Joshua was through his ranting, when he calmed down enough to again see, through his rage-fueled bloodshot eyes, he noticed something. The congregation had all stood as one. They were all ready to face him; to defend the two unclean perverts; to make excuses for the man that was responsible for his son's death. He knew he had to act before anyone got the courage to rally the crowd against him, and so he did.

He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a semi-automatic rifle and aimed it at the crowd. He shouted:** "Nobody move. Everyone remain calm!" **This had the desired effect. People were stunned and shocked but no one panicked. Even the children remained quiet for now; they were oblivious, uncertain or too afraid to react.

Joshua then pulled out a pistol with his free hand and aimed it in Will and Sonny`s direction:

**"Step away from the altar, boys; you don't belong anywhere near it. You too Reverend…so-called that is. I read about you. You are just as bad as the two grooms!"**

Will could not believe what was happening. The man before him, his own uncle, was pointing a gun at him and at a crowd of innocent people, in a sacred place, during what should have been a sacred and happy occasion. And Will knew that the primary reason was that his uncle blamed him for the death of Nick Fallon. So, he squeezed Sonny's hand, a hand he had been holding with an iron grip, released it and stepped forward saying:

**"Uncle Joshua, we both know the real reason you are here. Your quarrel is with me. Let's you and I leave this place, or at least let the rest go. There are innocent children here, Uncle Joshua…I am the one you want…take me…but not here…please**…"

Will could hear a chorus of **"Will No!"** shouted from several people. He recognized most of them: Sonny (of course), Sami (again, of course), Marlena, Adrienne Justin Lucas, Hope and Roman, Victor and Maggie (all of them had obvious reasons to shout NO), and then there was Chad, Abigail, and Father Fitz (all with good reasons). There were the less obvious: some of the parishioners also shouted. And then there was the least expected: Jennifer Deveraux.

Will had forgotten that Jennifer had been seated with the family. Her daughter was Little Ari's Godmother now, after all. But Jennifer didn't just shout. She had been placed in a pew near the center aisle in the front row. She moved to the center, blocking Joshua's line of fire, a pistol directed to above her chest. And she spoke:

**"Joshua! What are you doing!? Do you not know where you are? This is a house of God! Does it matter that they don't practice exactly the way you believe is right? You must have heard your own priest talk about loving your neighbour and forgiveness. You must have also read the parts of the Bible where Jesus talks about accepting other people's differences…Sometimes all these things are hard to do…Joshua… I know…But is this truly the answer? Will Horton is a father Joshua…are you truly going to deprive his daughter of the love he can provide her? Really?"**

Sonny could not believe what he was seeing. Jennifer Deveraux had stood up and was confronting Mr. Fallon, on Will's behalf. He was going to have words with Will after all this is done…Although this was exactly the kind of thing Will would do…Thinking of others' welfare and not his own…Jennifer on the other hand was a surprise.

It surprised Joshua as well. He hesitated for just long enough for Hope and Roman to react. They both grabbed Joshua on different sides, ripping the weapons out of his hands and forcing him to the floor. Joshua was crying and shouting that this was unfair…How could they do this to him…He wanted revenge for his son's death.

Roman looked at Joshua and told him that if he wanted justice, or even revenge he should look towards the crime family that was actually responsible for Nick's death. Jennifer went up to Joshua and said:

**"Joshua, this is a place of forgiveness, not revenge…you should have known better"**

Father Fitz recovered rather quickly from this ordeal and said:** "I think we should take a half hour break, compose ourselves and come back here…we have a blessing to finish. And I for one need a stiff drink."**

* * *

Sonny and Will were brought to Father's Fitz office. Father Fitz went to a drawer, brought out a bottle of scotch and several glasses and presented them to Sonny, and even Will, and gulped down a shot himself.

Sonny tried not to yell at Will. In a sense Sonny thought Will had been careless, not thinking of his family; but it wasn't as if he had only been thinking of himself. Will had the whole congregation is mind. And so, Sonny simply went up to Will, kissed him passionately on the lips and told him to try and not do that kind of thing ever again.

Justin, Adrienne, Sami and Lucas came in to the office to see how their boys were doing. They also wanted to know if the boys wanted any of them to take Little Ari off their hands for a while. Will was a little shaken. He had Little Ari in his arms; she was busy gurgling and cooing to herself. The incident had affected Will and Sonny enough that they didn't want Little Ari to leave their sight. In fact Sonny did not want Will to leave his side either.

Hope came in to the office to inform Will and Sonny and Father Fitz that the church was secure, there were more officers on the scene and Joshua Fallon had been taken to the police station. She made a promise that the Salem Police Department would not allow any other incident to take place.

Abigail and Dario came into the office, and with them were Mrs. Hernandez and Jennifer. When Will saw his Aunt Jennifer, he went right up to her and gave her a big hug. He then let Sonny do the same. Will didn't have the words to thank his aunt at that moment, but Sonny did:

**"Aunt Jennifer, what you did for Will just now, was amazing. I can't thank you enough. You saved my husband's life."**

Jennifer felt a little self-conscious. She hadn't thought of it in that way. Her eyes got misty and she went to Will and said:

**"Will, I am so sorry for the way I have been acting towards you and Sonny these past few months. It finally hit me, when you offered your freedom, actually your life, to Joshua, that you, Will, are a good man. And therefore, so what if you have a relationship with Sonny that I don't quite understand. You understand it and that is what should matter."**

Jennifer hugged Will once again and then Father Fitz that went to Jennifer and gave her a hug as well as he said:

**"Well said Mrs. Deveraux. Well said"**

* * *

The congregation, and the guests, every single one, and a few extra that showed up to show solidarity, were back in their seats and in position. Father Fitz asked who was being presented for a blessing. It was Chad that answered: **"Sonny and Will Horton-Kiriakis, sir."**

The Reverend then asked Sonny and Will to sit. There was a reading by Mrs. Hernandez and the prayers of the people were said by Eric Horton in civilian clothes. They prayed for Will and Sonny and Arianna Grace to be blessed in their lives.

Then Father Fitz asked Will and Sonny to accompany him to the altar, and he talked a bit about them and why they deserved to have their marriage blessed by God, in this place of worship.

He spoke about Sonny, being there for Will when he was coming out; and then being there for Arianna Grace when she was born.

He spoke about Will, who tried to defend his friends three months ago and was shot, and then, just today he demonstrated more courage by basically trying to hand himself over to someone he knew hated him, just so that others would not get hurt.

These were the types of people that Sonny and Will were. They demonstrated their love for each other every day by sharing their time, their love and sometimes their challenges with one another.

When Father Fitz was done, the communion consecration was started, and after communion Father Fitz asked it he could have the rings that were on both young men's fingers. He placed them lifted them up and blessed the two simple gold bands as symbols of Will and Sonny's commitment to each and to God. He then stated that Will and Sonny had chosen to say personal vows, and he invited them both to hold hands. He presented Sonny with a ring and asked that he place it on Will's finger. And then he invited Sonny to go speak his vows:

**"Will, from the moment I first saw you I knew we were meant for each other. You have already given me so much. You and Gabi gave me a family. I will always love you for that. But Will, you gave me more than that. You taught me about possibilities. You taught me to always try and find the positive, the good in everyone. You are my rock and my life…so, in front of God, and everyone present I promise to love you and cherish you, honour you and treasure you, for as long as we both shall live."**

And then, through misty-eyes, after placing a ring on Sonny's finger, Will spoke, in his turn:

**"Sonny, you have always been there for me; even when I tried to push you away; even when I was convinced that I could never be good enough for you; that you deserved more than I could ever give. You taught me about compromise. You taught me about love and that when you love someone, sometimes you will accomplish more than you ever thought you could. You are my rock and my life…so, in front of God, and everyone present I promise to love you and cherish you, honour you and treasure you, for as long as we both shall live."**

Father Fitz then invited Sonny and Will to seal their pledges with a kiss. Sonny and Will both leaned forward and kissed each other, tenderly, softly, and with such a refrain passion that it sent the crowd into a frenzy of applause.

Father Fitz then lifted his arms and said to the guests and congregation:

**"Sonny and Will Horton-Kiriakis have now completed their vows to one another, in the presence of God, I now invite them and you all to go in peace and continue your journey in doing God's work"**

Sonny and Will Horton-Kiriakis then started down the center aisle, to a chorus of: **"Amen"**


	24. Chapter 24

About a month before the wedding Will and Sonny were sitting in their living room. Little Ari was in the arms of her great-great uncle. She was looking at Victor and gurgling. He was looking at her with an uncharacteristic goofy smile on his face; he was making very uncharacteristic cooing noises. It certainly was a sight to see.

Sonny and Will were discussing honeymoon plans. They both were uncertain as to the destination; what both of them knew instinctively was that Little Ari would be accompanying them. There was no way either Sonny or Will could be away from her for as long as a honeymoon would last. And that limited the choices available.

Camping, Kayaking and mountain climbing were out of the question, even though Sonny would have enjoyed any of those; but he knew that Will would have a problem with climbing mountains and camping with a three month, because that is how old Little Ari would be by then, might be a little hectic.

Will had thought of Bermuda or Jamaica or somewhere in the Caribbean, but events in the last year or so had made it clear, to him and to Sonny that those places weren't exactly gay friendly. Who would want to go someplace where the very act they would be celebrating was illegal, or at least not tolerated very much.

When Victor heard Will talk about the Caribbean, he stopped cooing at Little Ari and simply said:** "The Caribbean sounds like a great idea, you know, I own a small island in the Caribbean, part of the Caribbean Netherlands, and therefore you would be quite safe. The beach house was being leased to an acquaintance of mine for the last ten years, but they have recently vacated and it is now available. It's near an exclusive private resort that I also own, and you would have privileges there if you wanted. "**

Sonny's eyes had gone wide. This was too much, first the house, and then the reception. And now his uncle wanted to send them on a honeymoon? This was way too much, and Sonny said as much.

Uncle Vic simply scoffed: **"Nonsense. You three have been through a lot these past few months. You are getting married and you deserve a honeymoon fit for the Kiriakis' that you are…I'll make the arrangements."**

* * *

It was the day after the wedding and Sonny, Will and Little Ari (carried in her bassinet by her Daddy) finally walked into the front entrance of the beach house on Uncle Vic's small island, smack in the middle of a series of larger islands. It was absolutely gigantic. There was a butler, a cook, a maid and a nanny for Little Ari, all present, in a line, waiting for their guests to walk in. Will felt a little uncomfortable with this; it wasn't as if Sonny and he were royalty.

The butler introduced himself. His name was Bente. He welcomed both Sonny and Will to the island. He explained that all the amenities would be available to them, including the beaches, the tennis court, the basketball court, the media room and the swimming pool. There would always be food available, and transportation to one of the bigger islands, including the Resort island nearby:

**"Misters Horton-Kiriakis. My employer, your Great-Uncle, has informed me that we are to make your stay here as pleasant as we can. We will of course endeavour to do so. He has also informed me of the reason for this visit. Congratulations to you both. We will also endeavour to ensure that your privacy is maintained, in case you are wanting to have more intimate celebrations."**

Both Sonny and Will noticed the very subtle wink for Bente. They thanked him and asked for him and the staff to call them Will and Sonny, Mr. Horton-Kiriakis was too formal, and could lead to confusion since there were two of them.

Will had noticed that the cook, named Gisela, actually smirked, and Diantha the maid giggled, when they heard Bente mention 'intimate celebrations'. He hoped that they wouldn't get too curious about how 'intimate' the celebrations would be, it could get quite embarrassing.

Madelaine, the French nanny, did not react at all. After she was introduced she asked about Little Ari, Will picked his still sleeping baby girl up and showed her off.

Someone from the water taxi brought the baggage to the door and the butler, along with two strong young men that turned out to be a maintenance worker and a gardener, took the baggage to Sonny and Will's rooms.

The rooms were gorgeous, spacious, with elegant furniture. The bed was in the middle of the room and was the biggest bed Will or Sonny had ever seen. There was a balcony on two sides, both with ocean views. There were couches and lounge chairs in the room as well as outside on the balconies. Little Ari's bedroom was adjacent with a connecting door.

It was mid-afternoon and Arianna Grace was due to wake up from her nap. And so before she did, Will and Sonny wanted to explore, not to say inspect, her living arrangements. They opened the door to her room and were met by Madelaine, the nanny.

Madelaine was putting the last of Little Ari's things away. Sonny and Will looked around Little Ari's temporary accommodations, and were very pleased. The room looked very similar to her room back home; actually her rooms, since they had managed to make the rooms at her grandparents' houses look very much the same. Little Ari's blankets and stuffed animals even the mobile hanging over her crib looked very similar.

Uncle Victor had suggested that if Sonny and Will were to take Little Ari with them they should have a nanny there, in case they wished to do things on their own; and so Victor arranged for a nanny agency to selected candidates so that Will and Sonny could chose them. When Sonny and Will inquired if any of the candidates were screened based on their acceptance of same-sex parents, the agency said that in the Caribbean Netherlands, like in the main land country, discrimination based on sexual-orientation was not accepted.

The candidates knew this, they would be told of Will and Sonny's situation and would not accept the position if they had a problem with it. Sonny and Will chose Madelaine because she seemed to be the best qualified, and according to her resume, she had experience with children of same-sex couples.

Therefore Madelaine's question to Will as she picked up a now just-waking-up Little Ari, was a little surprising: **"So, monsieur Will, I take it that you are this baby's father, yes?"**

Will tilted his head, an inquisitive and slightly worried look darting across his face. He looked at Sonny who had been fiddling with the mobile and then back at Madelaine: **"Um, I thought you were briefed…We both are…"**

Madelaine, perhaps realizing her mistake, shook her head: **"Oh non, Monsieur Will, I meant legally…in case of emergency…"**

Will still had trouble registering that Madelaine wasn't briefed, so it went to Sonny to continue the conversation: **"Madelaine, her birth certificate and passport all say that she is legally both Will's and my daughter…and I believe in this country it is recognized…"**

Madelaine didn't wait for Sonny to finish: **"I am so sorry. It was not my intention to be insulting…"**

Sonny was able to let out a **"It's okay…"** before stirrings from the bassinet prompted everyone to go on high alert. All three went towards the bassinet. Madelaine, however got to Little Ari first and started fussing over her. Little Ari's two dads felt like intruders. Normally they would be doing all the changing. Their facial expressions must have been rather obvious, because Madelaine looked at both of them and said:

**"Now messieux, you are both on vacation, that is why I am here. Arianna Grace and I need to get acquainted. You are very welcome to watch…but there is a big house for you both to explore and grounds to see if you so choose...your little girl will be fine…"**

* * *

After watching Madelaine interact with their daughter for quite a while, Sonny and Will felt comfortable enough to leave them both, in order to have a little alone time together. It was now mid-afternoon and Will really wanted to go to the beach.

They asked Bente if they could have a beach blanket. They both put on a swimsuit. Sonny was always amazed at Will's body, especially when he is half naked, wearing only a tight boxer-brief type swimsuit; and when Will asked if Sonny could put some sunscreen lotion on him, Sonny couldn't resist to give Will more of a massage than he actually needed. Will was hot.

Will also was very much turned on by Sonny in his swim trunks. Sonny was such a hunk; and when Sonny massaged in Will's sunscreen, Will got slightly over-excited, to use a polite term.

Will was given a picnic basket of tasty snacks and drinks. They found a secluded enough part of the beach and placed the blanket down. Then Will started to unpack the snacks. There was some spicy bread, and lots of fruit and there was wine.

Will was a bit taken aback by this, until Sonny told him that the legal drinking age was eighteen; Sonny did however say that they should both be very frugal when it came to their drinking, and Will of course agreed. The wine they had was very tasty, it was a Chilean pinot grigio and went very well with the cheeses and the fruit.

When they finished the food and finished their glass of wine, Will laid down on the blanket. Sonny looked towards Will and just couldn't help himself. He leaned down and kissed his husband full on the lips. Will reacted as expected and wrapped his arms around Sonny.

They had both been waiting for this moment. They were finally alone. Sonny was so excited he started to grind himself into Will. This excited Will so much that through fervent kisses he lifted Sonny up and rolled him so that now Will was on top and grinding.

All of a sudden they heard a voice shouting **"Ik zal hen vragen! (I will ask them)…Misters Horton-Kiriakis!" **from above the rocks. Will managed to roll off Sonny, although his hand did get briefly stuck inside Sonny's swim trunks, before the young gardener peeked around the rocks.

When he noticed their picnic and the position they were in, his eyes went rather wide. He recovered quickly though and said: **"I am so sorry to disturb you Misters Horton-Kiriakis, but the cook wishes to know if you will be dining in tonight, or will you like to dine at the resort, or one of the other islands."**

Will and Sonny simply looked at one another. They both were tired; it had been a long day. They both wanted very much to try out the large bed tonight, and probably as soon as they possibly could. So, they decided to stay on the island tonight. They told this to the gardener, whose name was Anton, but they decided that they would inform the cook themselves.

Anton, much too eagerly, it seemed to Sonny, helped Will pack up all the foodstuffs; and then helped Sonny, much to eagerly, it seemed to Will, to fold up the beach blanket.

When they reached the beach house, Sonny headed to the kitchens, and Will headed upstairs to check on Little Ari and Madelaine. He went through the doors in his room; and as he opened up the door he heard a soft voice from inside say in almost a sing-song manner:

"**Bien ma petite, je suis désolée pour toi. Avoir deux pères, ce n'est pas naturel. Tu seras probablement élevée immoralement, étant parentée par deux pervers. (Well little one, I feel sorry for you. To have two fathers, it is not natural. You will most likely be brought up immorally being raised by two perverts.)**

Will had spent quite a few years in Switzerland, and he learned a little bit of French; enough to be able to react. He swung the door open and said a bit too forcefully:

**"What did you just say?!"**


	25. Chapter 25

Madelaine did her best to try to recover. She smiled and acted surprised that Will Horton would be offended by anything she could have said:

**"Monsieur Will, I was simply singing a French lullaby to this charming little girl, I am sorry if my French offends you…"**

Will stared at her, dumbfounded. Had she not read any of the things Sonny and Will sent her? One of the reasons they chose Madelaine was the fact that, Will especially, but Sonny as well, could communicate with her in her own language. He decided to demonstrate that very fact:

**"Mademoiselle Madelaine, j'ai tout bien compris ce que vous avez dit (Miss Madelaine, I understood perfectly well what you said)…I would like to see my daughter please…"**

Madelaine seemed very reluctant to hand over Little Ari to someone she obviously disliked; to someone she felt was unclean and unsuitable to be a parent. Again taken aback by Madelaine's behaviour, Will became rather angry when he saw Madelaine not only hesitate but he saw her searching for an escape route:

**"No one is going to take my daughter from me ever again! Hand her over now!"**

Will had placed himself so that he actually could block both doors. He was not about to let her leave. Because Madelaine was hesitating, this gave time for Will to remember his encounters with the nanny over the last few hours. And something suddenly clicked. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this at the beginning when he saw Madelaine's attitude when they arrived. In point of fact, he had thought of it, but dismissed it. But he would say something now.

He looked at this young woman in front of him and said: **"Who are you really? Because you aren't the woman we meant to hire are you…what did you do with the real Madelaine Frémas?"**

At Will's words, Madelaine, threw Little Ari at Will, causing Will to move away from one of the doors, in order to catch his daughter. She pushed past Will, who let her escape, since he did not want to endanger his daughter. Will then ran after her shouting for anyone to stop her. Will wondered where the security staff was. Will could see some of the staff looking confused as they saw Madelaine run down the stairs, and run out the front door.

There seemed to have been a boat waiting for her. Will could see her as she jumped in and told whoever was driving to step on it. And they were away. The security staff were not too far behind, but Madelaine, it seems, had gotten too much of a head start.

Since this was an Island owed by Victor Kiriakis there was security staff, they were well trained but this had been thoroughly unexpected. Madeleine had been vetted; at least, they all thought she had been.

* * *

Sonny was on video conferencing with the agency that they had used to hire "Madelaine Frémas". According to their records, there had been a cancellation at the last minute and a cancellation fee was paid:

**"No one cancelled though. I didn't my husband didn't and I just received word that neither my uncle nor my dad did. And the four of us were the only ones that could"**

Will got Sonny's attention, not too subtly, by whispering Sonny's name several times: **"Ask them if Madelaine is still available…"**

Sonny stopped his conversation with the agent and turned to Will. Sonny didn't think that using this agency, or hiring anyone else was a good idea. How could they trust anyone now? And he voiced that opinion. Will had a rebuttal:

**"Sonny, as much as I love Little Ari, this is our honeymoon…We need someone...so we can have some grown-up fun…The situation isn't liable to happen again. It would be too obvious."**

Sonny relented and turned his attention back towards the agent and asked him if Madelaine was still available. The agent looked up her file on his computer, and sure enough she was still available. He even offered to refund the cancellation fee. Sonny told him to keep it, since they didn't pay the fee in the first place. The agent countered that their fee would be reduced by the amount already paid, nonetheless.

The agent asked if he could have time to contact the nanny and see when she could be available to be transported to the island. When asked how long he would need, the agent said: **"Ten minutes"**.

Sonny and Will took these ten minutes to talk with Victor and Justin. Everyone was of the opinion that "Madelaine" must have been working with, or for, someone who had a grudge against Sonny and Will. As far as Justin was concerned, there were only two possibilities; Joshua Fallon, or an organization associated with him, since he was still in Salem Police custody, as far as Justin knew; or, the other possibility was someone involved with the O'Greary Crime Family was trying to either send a message or retaliate for what Will and Sonny did to their organization, sending members, rather high up in the family Hierarchy to prison, or potentially to prison, since some of the trials were still outstanding.

Victor was very apologetic. He promised to beef up security by sending some of his more experienced men to the island. Justin asked Sonny and Will if they just wanted to pack up and leave. Sonny replied: **"No way".**

Will's reply was a bit less characteristic: **"Justin, I mean Dad, and Uncle Vic, Sonny and I will be staying. But I want whoever's responsible for this to pay. I'm not sure what the imposter's role was, but it involved my daughter; and as I told that imposter no one, NO ONE, is going to harm my daughter again, or take her away from me, from us…" **

Will waved his hand towards Sonny then continued: **"I will not be at all forgiving when it comes to her safety. Not ever again!"**

Then Will realized that he was shouting, he stopped and a look of dejected amazement that turned very quickly to a look of solid determination came upon his face. Sonny went to his husband cupped his head with his hands and gave Will a tender, loving kiss, and he didn't care who was watching.

A rather smiley Victor turned to Justin and said: **"I've said it before, but I'll say it again…They'll do."**

* * *

Will and Sonny were lounging in the hot tub they found tucked in one corner of their room, hidden by portable blinds. It was magical. Sonny raised his glass and Will reciprocated. They were drinking Champagne. They had enough food to last them at least a day.

They had left instructions to the staff, via Bente the butler, to not be disturbed; everyone except for the real Madelaine, who of course could disturb them, especially if Little Ari became fussy. Although, she didn't seem to be much trouble just from the cooing that they heard coming from the baby monitor that Madelaine herself installed. They could also hear Madelaine singing lullabies, in English and French and even German.

Sonny recalled that just a few minutes ago, after they discovered the hot tub, Will got excited and rushed to put his bathing suit on. He hadn't had many experiences in hot tubs and wanted to try it out right away.

It took Sonny to point out to Will that they were alone, they were newly married and they had already seen each other naked before this; so why did Will need to wear a bathing suit? Sonny could see the wheels turning in Will's head; the fright that someone would barge in, or what if Little Ari needed them? But Sonny simply grinned a sheepish grin and tilted his head, and licked his lips just a little, and Will was undressing rather remarkably quickly; so much so that when Will saw that Sonny had barely moved, he said: **"Well, Sonny, what are you waiting for? I want you…badly."**

And so they had spent the first fifteen minutes in the hot tub exploring each other, tasting each other, touching every single inch of one another, as their tongues did a wild and crazy tango, the likes of which neither one had experienced before.

Then, after the clinking of the glasses and feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries, mangoes, and a delicious concoction from the cook containing a little bit of rum, and resuming their fondling of one another, Sonny got up out of the hot tub and put on a large white plush robe that they had found in a closet. Will got out of the hot tub and did the same.

They walked, hand-in-hand towards the door to Little Ari's room and knocked, very lightly, on the door. Madelaine answered the door, with her index finger to her mouth, she whispered: **"Little Ari is finally asleep messieux…would you like to sneak a peek at her?"**

Both Sonny and Will nodded. They really liked this Madelaine a lot better than the other one. She seemed much more kind and open-minded. When she met both Sonny and Will, she gave them both a huge hug and a double-kiss each. She did not wonder why Little Ari wasn't there just yet, she must have been briefed. She came right to the point and said that Sonny and Will were the parents, she would act, as best she could, as a surrogate parent for Arianna Grace, so that they could have some alone time:

**"Every newlywed couple deserves some alone time. That is the point of it, non? But I know you will both worry…so I brought some things along…"**

Sonny and Will had taken advantage, even in this short a time, of several of the things Madelaine had brought. The baby monitor was one. A portable change table was another; and she also brought a few toys to help stimulate Little Ari's senses and keep her happy.

The boys went up to the crib to where the sleeping Arianna Grace lay, wrapped in her blankets and snuggled up nice and tight. They both itched to pick her up and snuggle with her but that would be dangerous. She would probably wake up and be in a foul mood, so they left her sleeping; but they pined. **"She's so beautiful",** they both said simultaneously.

Sonny and Will both looked at each other, smiled, leaned in and gave each other a tender kiss. Then both looking embarrassed, they glanced towards Madelaine, who simply smiled:

**"I can tell you love your daughter and each other very much. I can only dream to have what the two of you have. I'm a little jealous."**

Will and Sonny smiled at Madelaine as they left her and Little Ari,to go back to what they had been doing. Yes they definitely liked this Madelaine more than the other one.


	26. Chapter 26

Madelaine, or as the boys had started calling her, the 'Real Maddie', opened the door to Little Ari's room. It was seven o'clock in the morning and she was due for a change and a feeding.

Madelaine was only slightly worried that she hadn't heard a peep out of the baby on the baby monitor. at all, since she got up about fifteen minutes ago. And sure enough, as per one of the rules that she had laid down, there was a note in her crib that read: **"It's okay 'Real Maddie', we've got her."**

She went to the door to Sonny and Will's room, and hesitated. She did want to check up on the baby, but she certainly didn't want to disturb the two young men if they were asleep. She knew they would probably not be doing anything more private, not with a baby present; but she still didn't want to intrude, so she simply listened at the door. She didn't hear a sound.

She opened up the door very softly and briefly glimpsed towards the bed. There was no one in it. She closed the door and headed to her own room, crossed it and headed to the balcony. The balcony enveloped the whole second floor. Her room happened to be just around the corner from the main room and so she took a stroll to sit in one of the lounge chairs on the side that had the better view.

She had just sat down and was beginning to relax when she thought she heard some happy-baby gurgling noises coming from nearby. She stood up and headed towards the noise; and then she stopped when she saw one of the cutest things she had ever seen.

Sonny and Will were laying together arm in arm, snuggling very closely to one another, in a hammock. They were wearing fluffy white robes. Resting on them both was Little Ari who was cooing to herself. She seemed very happy and content laying there with her two sleepy fathers surrounding her. Madelaine smiled. She went back to her chair in order to enjoy the ocean view. She would keep an eye on Little Ari, just in case she somehow managed to move from her position; highly unlikely though it may be.

* * *

After feeding and changing Little Ari, then playing with her a little, Will and Sonny handed her off to Madelaine. The boys had decided to spend the morning at the secluded spot they had found yesterday afternoon, before the trouble with the Fake Madelaine. Sonny went to the kitchen to get a picnic basket, and Will, with blankets and pillows in hand headed other there to set the blankets down. The boys had asked Bente to warn people away from that area, so they could act as uninhibited as they wanted. Bente smiled and agreed.

Will had set the blankets down and placed the pillows so that he and Sonny would be comfortable. He unbuttoned his short-sleeved summer shirt, then laid down on his back, and propped himself up on his elbows, arching his back and taking in the sun. He closed his eyes and waited for Sonny.

Will heard a noise. He was a little confused. He had been anxious for Sonny to arrive; he just didn't think it would be this soon. He then felt a heavy weight fall on him and pressure on his lips. He knew it wasn't Sonny, even before he opened his eyes. He pushed the interloper as hard as he could off of him and then sprang to his feet. Will took a defensive stance, stared at the person in front of him and then spoke, as calmly as he could under the circumstances:

**"Anton! What are you doing?"**

Anton seemed perplexed and rather put-off from being interrupted in his mission. It was as if he had never had the experience of being pushed away before. And he told as much to Will:

**"Mister Will, where I used to work, men would come up to me without my bidding and simply start things with me. They never expected me to say no. They would not have taken no for an answer…I thought that is how it was always done."**

Will couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was just a kid in front of him. At the very most Anton was his age, most likely younger. He asked Anton how old he was. Anton told Will that he was sixteen. Sixteen, and thinking like that. That sex was something you took from someone else. Will had never thought of it in those terms. He had always thought that sex was an expression of love between two people.

Will told Anton that he and Sonny were married. They had pledged to live their lives as one. And they meant to do that. They didn't need anyone else. And then Will was shocked again when Anton said:

**"I decided to be proactive and seduce you before either of you had a chance to hit on me…"**

And then it got even more complicated. Before Will could answer Anton…before he could get to the reason for what just happened…Will heard a rather familiar and very anger voice coming from behind him:

**"Hit on?! Anton…what did you do to my husband?!"**

Will spun around and caught Sonny, just as Sonny lunged towards Anton. Will yelled for Anton to leave; to go to the beach house and wait for him there. He then let go of Sonny, who simply turned around and was ready to go after Anton; and so Will grabbed Sonny once more:

**"Will, let go of my arm!" **Will's hand remained attached to Sonny's bicep:** "Not until you calm down Sonny…" **Sonny abruptly turned to Will and asked him, his emotions under control, but only just: **"Will, what did Anton do to you?"**

Will knew that if he told Sonny what happened, his husband would probably lose his temper again and go after Anton. There was a time that Will might have thought Sonny would have blamed him. Now, Will knew that Sonny wouldn't.

There was also a time that Will knew that he would probably have blamed himself. Now, he knew that he hadn't done anything wrong. He wasn't convinced that Anton had really done anything wrong either. Well, he did, but Will thought Anton seemed to have a skewed idea about relationships and sex and that was most likely not Anton's fault.

Will decided that he needed to give Sonny time to calm down. He wanted to deal with the Anton problem in a way that wouldn't completely destroy Anton but would make Sonny feel comfortable enough to stay on the island.

Will looked directly into Sonny's rather clouded-by-anger eyes and said: **"Sonny, do you trust me?"**

Sonny nodded, vigorously, which was enough of a sign for Will to continue: **"Sonny, stay here. Unpack the picnic basket…slowly… and I will go and deal with Anton."**

Sonny shook his head: **"You shouldn't have to deal with Anton, or anything like that at all…I should be able to protect you from that…"**

Will knew that he couldn't leave Sonny here:** "We'll come back for the basket later…Let's go deal with Anton together…but Sonny…no violence. Promise?"**

Sonny nodded.

* * *

By the time Sonny and Will arrived at the beach house, there was no sign of Anton. They found Bente and asked him where Anton was. Bente looked puzzled and simply indicated that Anton explained that Will had dismissed him and that he was in his room packing.

At Will's request Bente showed Will and Sonny Anton's room. Will knocked on the door with one hand as he was holding Sonny's arm with his other. It took some persuasion, namely Bente demanding Anton open the door, until Anton finally did so.

Anton had been crying. Will asked Bente if he wouldn't mind giving them some privacy, and Bente did so. Will went to sit down beside Anton, until he heard Sonny hiss slightly; so Will simply crouched down:

**"Anton…please explain to me again…why you forced a kiss on me…" **

Will had held his hand out towards Sonny as a gesture to prevent him from coming forward, since Will had figured correctly, that the mention of the kiss would be upsetting. Anton looked at Will, and then at Sonny and Will could see that there was quite a bit of fear.

Will explained to Anton that there was nothing to fear. Neither he nor Sonny would hurt him: **"I promise you, Anton. Believe me."**

And that is when Anton opened up about several years of abuse that he had suffered through. What he did to Will was simply an act of trying to take control in an effort to reduce the amount of hurt and pain he would receive. Anton had not had the best time, especially during his last job, at the nearby resort.

Will convinced Anton that the correct authorities needed to be notified. He also said that perhaps Anton would be more comfortable working somewhere else. Anton didn't want to leave.

Sonny agreed to let Anton stay if Anton would agree to keep his distance from him and from Will, for the time of their stay. And Sonny indicated that he would make sure that Anton was taken care of. No one had the right to take advantage of anyone the way Anton had been:** "But Anton, do not try to kiss my husband ever again. He's mine. I am his. All we need is each other. All we want is each other. Understood?"**

Anton nodded.

* * *

Will convinced Sonny to return to their spot where their picnic basket was waiting for them. They spread the food out and had opened a bottle of wine. They fed one another the fruit and chocolate. They drank the wine. They touched one another; but there was something holding each one back from truly giving himself to the other.

Will could tell Sonny was hesitating about something. He really hoped they both could let what happened go. No one was really hurt, although Will did feel a bit unclean. He needed his husband to still want him.

Sonny was afraid that Will felt violated, no matter what he told Anton. Sonny could see that Will was hesitating. He tried to find an opening, a way to bridge this awkward gap that was widening by the minute.

Finally Sonny decided to just tell Will what he was feeling, what he wanted. And as it turned out it was the same thing that Will wanted; because they both said, at the same time:

**"Babe…I want you…really bad…I hope you don't care what Anton did…"**

Realizing that they had both let their own insecurities get the better of them, they lunged towards one another; their lips collided. Their bodies ached for one another so much that neither one of them hesitated in the slightest to rid themselves of their clothing; almost tearing each other's clothes off.

When each was liberated of their attire, and their manliness was exposed to the other, they took turns showing one another that their love had not diminished; in fact, Anton had shown both of them that their love for each other was strong and true and their need to show their love was as acute as ever.

Tongues met skin in places that had never been touched by anyone else before. Each penetrated the other's body, trying and succeeding in getting in touch with the other's soul. They were one. They had been; they were, and they always would be.

* * *

After their love-making, Sonny and Will laid down on the blankets, catching their breath and holding one another close, with Will putting his head on Sonny's chest.

"**Wow Will…that was intense…"** Will agreed: **"I kind of like jealous-protective Sonny." **Sonny smiled: **"And I kind of like assertive-protective Will"**

As they lay there reminiscing and simply feeling one another's energy, Sonny began to think. He knew that Will was not going to let the issue of Anton's abuse, because that is what it boiled down to, go.

Sonny voiced that sentiment to Will and Will agreed:** " I know Sonny. I think we need to do something. I think we have to help Anton…"**

Sonny agreed. He and Will decided together that Sonny would call his Uncle Vic and explain the situation. They would then take a trip to the Resort Island. In order to explore, have some fun but also to investigate what was going on there.

Sonny sighed:** "Will, Sometimes I wonder how things like this always happen to us. It's like we were in a daytime drama or something. All I wanted was to have a relaxing honeymoon with the love of my life…you know?"**

Will gently nodded, smiling:

**"Before we do any of that I need to play with Little Ari. I need her joy…you know?"**

And then it was Sonny's turned to simply nod, as he took his husband in his arms for another passionate session.


	27. Chapter 27

**"No Will, we are not taking Little Ari with us to the Resort Island…" **Sonny could not believe that Will had even suggested that they take their precious little girl to a resort that might be home to some rather unsavory and potentially dangerous people.

Will, who had been playing with Little Ari, giving her belly and cheek raspberries and playing 'paddy cake', had been listening to Sonny talk to their Uncle Vic's security people, as well as authorities from the Islands' police force, his father and his Uncle Vic and poor Anton who was extremely uncomfortable having to answer everyone's questions..

Sonny had suggested that they should go to the resort and ask some questions of their own. Sonny could go there as Uncle Vic's representative, just to make discreet inquiries. The police authorities wanted to make sure that Anton's story was actually true, although Sonny thought that Anton should be believed regardless of his 'station in life', as one of the officers put it. Will simply said that if they were going to go to the resort, he wanted to bring Little Ari along. And when Sonny objected, Will countered with:

**"But Sonny, if we take Little Ari along, Real Maddie would be there along with as many security people who could fit on the yacht. Little Ari would be perfectly safe. And then we could play 'paddy cake' some more…right my widdle Awi-pawi?"**

As Sonny saw Will poke Little Ari in the belly and then twitch her little nose, he couldn't help but snicker. He tried not to laugh. He actually was trying to be upset. But seeing Will paddy-caking with Little Ari, Sonny couldn't help himself, and neither could anyone else. Will looked up and his facial features spelled out a huge: _"What? What did I do?"_

Sonny couldn't help himself. He went over and gave his husband a gentle yet rather passionate peck and then said:** "Thank you for that Will. I know you just want to be around our little girl. But for a minute there you sounded a lot like Uncle Vic, except for the whole paddy-cake thing. No Offense meant Uncle Victor…sir."**

He looked at the monitor, where he could see his father and Uncle Vic trying to stifle another laugh. Uncle Vic feigned indignation and said: **"No offense taken…yet. Besides Sonny, your husband has a point. I see no reason you can't have Little Ari tag along…at least until you start your investigation. Then she and Madeleine could go off and explore…neither one of them would be in any danger, especially if they had an escort."**

Uncle Vic once again bent Justin ear and whispered: **"I like that Will of ours more and more everyday…"**

Eventually Sonny relented and the security detail along with the captain of the island's yacht made preparations for The Horton-Kiriakis family and its rather large retinue to go to the Resort Island owned partly by Kiriakis Enterprises.

* * *

The yacht docked in the resort's docking area. A good-looking youngish man in uniform sauntered over and helped tie the yacht to the dock. He then addressed the captain, essentially asking if he could be of any assistance to the yacht's occupants. The captain informed the attendant that members of the Kiriakis family were aboard.

At the mention of the Kiriakis name, the young man practically tripped over himself as he stiffened to attention. He asked, in a rather anxious tone, which members were visiting the resort. The captain smiled and told the young man that he needn't worry, Victor Kiriakis, nor any of the board of directors of Kiriakis Enterprises were aboard. But family members on honeymoon, and potential board members, were.

Both Sonny and Will looked towards the captain, a flicker of astonishment in both their eyes. Thoughts of _"potential board members…he wasn't supposed to say that…"_ went through both their minds, but they couldn't react to it, not now.

Sonny and Will got off the yacht and Sonny made the introductions: **"Hello, I'm Sonny Horton-Kiriakis. This is my husband Will Horton-Kiriakis. We were planning on spending some time here. We were told that we were invited to use your facilities. I hope that offer still stands."**

With a look that seemed to Sonny and Will as 'confused', the attendant simply pointed to a largish white-washed rather pristine looking building and indicated that the two men and their 'retinue' needed to visit the administration building.

Leaving most of their 'retinue' behind, Sonny, who was carrying a day-bag, Will, who was carrying Little Ari, and Madelaine, who was carrying an empty bassinet, walked up the pebble-strewn staircase, and presented themselves at the front desk of the admin building.

As they walked up to the desk, Sonny noticed the young man at the desk staring. His expression changed from friendly to neutral. And Sonny was a little intrigued by that. It wouldn't be the first time someone changed their attitude when he walked in the room with Will. Especially since, as he now realized, he was holding Will's hand. But this was different. And he also realized he'd seen that look very recently in the young attendant's gaze, and in Anton's. All these young men had an expression of well hidden disgust, but also fear. They all looked like they were ready to leap away, at the sight of Will and Sonny. But the young man at the desk stayed at his desk and was trying to act professionally.

When Sonny approached the desk, the young man immediately asked if they wanted to see the manager. Sonny said that he didn't think that was necessary, at the moment. He would speak to the manager later, but for the moment he was thinking of doing some snorkeling with his husband while his daughter and her nanny lounged by the pool, and Sonny asked permission to do so.

Jonas, as his name-tag suggested, seemed confused and taken aback by this request. He mumbled something like: **"Well, that's a first, maybe the young ones are like that." **And ever less loudly Sonny barely heard Jonas say**: "And maybe they won't bother me…" **He then scheduled an immediate snorkeling outing for them and asked for a credit card, for payment. Sonny tentatively smiled and said that he'd pay with debit, and handed Jonas his debit card.

* * *

The snorkeling was amazing. Sonny and Will had a private lesson with one of their professionals, another rather young-looking young man (this was getting to be a trend), and both were taken to one of the many reefs surrounding the islands. Although the reefs had diminished considerably in the last few years, it was still beautiful. The number of species of fish and ocean vegetation was simply spectacular.

They both swam in the ocean holding hands, acting like newlyweds. The instructor, Adam, eyed them suspiciously, although he warmed to them eventually, because Sonny and Will were obviously into each other and no one else.

When Sonny looked up, after swimming around Will and looking at fish, pointing out the more colourful ones, he saw Adam looking at them from the boat. He wasn't quite smiling. He seemed intrigued, as if he had never seen anything like Will and Sonny before.

When Will and Sonny got back on the boat, Sonny wanted to talk to Adam:

**"Adam? Please don't be offended…but you haven't been around gay people before have you?"**

Adam was obviously not expecting this question. His expression showed that yes he had, and he didn't quite like the experience, but his expression softened as he said:

"Mister Sonny, I have met gays before, sir. None were like you or your…husband. You are nice…"

Adam then got up from where he was sitting and started fiddling around with the motor. It was obvious to Sonny that Adam did not want to expound upon his experiences. Sonny asked Will if he wanted to go back into the water for one more little swim. Will was about to say no, but something in Sonny's eyes made him agree.

Will jumped in the water with Sonny and they swam until Sonny thought they would be out of earshot. He then swam close to Will and nuzzled his right ear and whispered:

**"Will, something fishy is going on here. And I don't mean underneath our feet. Notice how many young men, your age or younger who work at the resort?" **Will looked at Sonny a little funny when Sonny mentioned that the young men were good looking. Sonny frowned and was about to say something when Will stopped him by letting out a laugh and then saying:

**"And there I thought I was the only one you would ever look at ever again….I'm disappointed."**

Will swam closer to Sonny, gently put his arms around him and then passionately placed his lips on Sonny's. When Will released Sonny from the kiss Sonny sighed and said:

**"Will, I love you so much. You will always be the only one for me…"**

Will smiled again:

**"Sonny, babe…I love you too. And I agree with you. There is something going on here. These guys are all scared. We need to find out why. Now let's get back on the boat before we embarrass our instructor too much with our overzealous PDA."**

Sonny and Will got onto the boat yet again. And Adam asked them if they wanted to continue on or go back. When Will mentioned that he and Sonny were missing their daughter and wanted to return to the resort so they could both hug her, this again startled Adam into saying something. This time it was loud and clear. He addressed Sonny:

**"You have a daughter? Together? And you brought her along with you? And your wife doesn't mind?"**

Sonny smirked. He then leaned toward Will and kissed him on the cheek, and looked deeply into Will's eyes. Then Will nodded. He wasn't sure why, but he and Will had a sense that telling this young man about themselves might help them in finding out what was going on at this resort. He smiled at Adam and said:

**"Adam, our daughter is Will's biological daughter. Her mother died in child-birth. Our daughter was conceived because Will wasn't comfortable as yet with his feelings about me, and he did something stupid. But it resulted in the birth of our wonderful daughter so it was worth it."**

After going over to Will and pecking his cheek, Sonny went on to explain that Gabi gave legal guardianship to him when she died. And now Will and Sonny were married, and loved each other:

**"We do not need anyone else to quench any desires. We are enough for each other. That is why we got married. We only need each other."**

Adam was astounded: **"You two are married? I thought Will was your escort Sonny. I'm sorry. This is too weird. Two guys loving each other, like a man and a woman do…it just doesn't make sense."**

Although Will was rather surprised and astounded by the fact Adam thought he was an escort, he decided to let it go. Instead he said: **"Being gay isn't just about sex Adam. It is about love. You thinking that…makes me think that something must have happened to you…"**

And that is when the flood gates opened. Adam just sat near the engine, his emotions burst out. They were not directed at Will or Sonny, but they both knew not to approach him. He could turn on them without meaning to. They just let him cry out his angry bursts:

**"You say that…but I know…I know…gay people…maybe not you…I'm sorry…sorry…But they are greedy! Greedy! And they always take what they want! "**

He went on to say that in this economy, sometimes you just had to let things happen to you to get by. He alluded to the fact that the management of the resort not only enabled, not only encouraged, but they also forced certain employees to partake in certain activities. It wasn't nice.

Will and Sonny both looked at each other. They were half-expecting Adam to say exactly what he said, but they were still surprised to hear it. Will turned to Sonny and said:

**"Sonny, we need to go back. And we need to fix this."**

Sonny nodded.


	28. Chapter 28

Sonny and Will disembarked from their snorkeling adventure and strolled hand-in-hand towards the pool. On their way to meet up with Madelaine and their daughter, they noticed quite a few older men staring at them.

Sonny was used to people staring at him. He was also used to people staring at Will. Will of course was just a bit clueless when it came to people eyeing him, since he was still convinced that he wasn't anything special to look at, and all he cared about was the fact that Sonny was into him, even though Will still wasn't sure exactly why. Even so, Will did notice some of the older men staring, so they must have been extremely obvious:

**"Sonny, have you noticed all these older men staring at you since we got off the boat?"**

Sonny couldn't help himself. He started to laugh. Will looked at him quizzically, forcing Sonny to explain, yet again, that they were looking at Will most likely. And before Will could actually vocalize his very obvious question of _"Why?"_ that was forming on his lips, Sonny answered him:

**"Will, when are you going to realize just how attractive you are? Almost everywhere you go, you end up being the hottest guy there."**

Will stopped abruptly, turned, faced his husband, put a hand to his husband's chin, smiled and said in a sexy and loving voice:

**"Babe, almost everywhere I go, you are there with me, and that makes you the hottest guy there…"**

Sonny, also smiling, grabbed Will by the waist and pulled him close, causing their lips to collide, passionately. This in turn caused a flurry of hands to face and lips and tongue flourishes, until they both realized that they were not alone; in fact they were very public. They stopped abruptly, both blushing, embarrassed by their lack of control, although Will's blush was considerably more visible.

They both looked around and saw quite a few other couples, young men and women, most likely newlyweds, smiling at them. There were a few children tugging at their parents' shirts and pointing at them. There was an older silver-haired gentleman, who smiled and gave them a thumb's up. Then, as Sonny and Will saw, he grabbed a hold of his partner and kissed him on the lips.

And then there were the other older gentlemen, who were not only staring now, but practically salivating, and trying very hard to hide it. One of these men started walking towards Will and Sonny. When he got close enough to Will to be able to be out of earshot of most others, he stopped and addressed Will:

**"I don't know what that guy is paying you, but I'll double it if you kiss me like you just kissed him."**

Will's face instantly registered shock. Sonny's features had more of an angry hew to them. Suddenly, Will felt Sonny grab his left hand, place his left hand into a first except for one finger and then thrust it up towards the gentleman. Will then saw Sonny do the same.

The gentleman noticed the rings on the lifted fingers, wedding rings, and heard Sonny shout:

**"We are married you asshole!"**

Sonny saw the man, an embarrassed and slightly worried look on his face, try to side-step and leave abruptly. Sonny heard him mumble: **"Sorry…I thought he worked here." **

Sonny then saw Will briskly walk towards the gentleman, grab his arm to stop him and shout, a little bit too loudly:** "You thought I worked here? What did you think I was…a prostitute?!"**

The man looked flustered and Sonny decided to press the man for information:

**"Whether my husband works here or not, what gives you the right to come up to him and treat him like that?!"**

Having two rather good-looking young men confront him was obviously not something this man was used to. He muttered:** "The manager…the manager…"**

Will shouted:** "What did the manager tell you, that all his employees were prostitutes?!"**

The man looked Will in the eye; he seemed to get his courage up and said:** "The manager said that all I had to do was ask and any young employee would do whatever I wanted. You, young man, are going to be in serious trouble."**

Will stared at the man and almost growled as he said:

**"We'll see who's going to be in serious trouble around here, sir. My husband's great uncle happens to have a financial interest in this resort and has given my husband authority to act on his behalf. The police have already been notified that something has been happening here. You, sir, will be coming with me, without delay. You will tell the authorities everything you know about what is going on here, and perhaps the authorities will be lenient!"**

As the man, head down, and shoulders slumped, followed them to the yacht, Will could not believe that his threat actually worked. He called the security team and asked that they make sure his daughter and Real Maddie get to the yacht safely. Sonny would now have to get in touch with Uncle Victor and things would need to happen fast, before anyone got hurt, or got away.

* * *

The policing authorities of the near-by islands were called in to question and the man Sonny and Will met on the beach. The man's name was Walter Herman, he was a US citizen and had heard of this particular service at this particular resort from a website he liked to frequent. He told the police all about how he was invited to the resort with the promise that he could have anyone he wanted; and do anything he wanted with any employee, aside from killing them. He had paid a rather large sum of money up front and was told to pay the manager $200-$1000 per employee after every encounter, depending on what transpired.

Anton was also brought to the yacht from the private island, and Adam was brought there from his diving boat. Each were questioned, using the details from Walter Herman's testimony. This time the police were more inclined to believe them.

Both Anton and Adam told a very similar story. They had been hired by the manager and had been given a very good starting wage. After a while each young man noticed that they would be getting hit on by older men. Both young men refused all their advances.

In Anton's case, eventually, someone had come up behind him, while he was in one of the garden sheds one day and grabbed him from behind and pinned him down and forced himself on Anton. In Adam's case, he was assaulted by a customer on his boat.

Each young man went to the manager to complain and ask that the police be called. The manager told them that he wouldn't do that and if they knew was was best for them they would just let the men do what they wanted. They would get paid handsomely. And the manager also threatened to have them blacklisted for any other job on the islands if they didn't. It had taken Anton two years to find the gardening position on Victor Kiriakis; private island to finally escape the resort.

* * *

When Victor Kiriakis was informed of these goings-on by Sonny, he was absolutely, completely and utterly furious to find out that one of his financial enterprises was being used to exploit young men. He had worked very hard to make his financial empire into something legitimate; even though it did start out as something else.

Sexually exploiting young men, or anyone for that matter, was not his idea of good management style and practice. He immediately called his partners in the resort venture and demanded to know if they had any prior knowledge of this. Apparently this little side enterprise of renting out resort employees for sex was solely the idea and the responsibility of the current manager of the resort. He was not going to be manager for very long.

Victor was so furious about this, and about the fact that the management company that was supposed to oversee the manager of the resort was obviously not doing its job, that he threatened the company's executive that if they did not allow him to by controlling interest in the resort, he would make sure that they would also get arrested and charged along with the manager.

When this was settled, Victor Kiriakis phoned his great-nephew Sonny and informed him of a decision that he had made. Sonny was less than thrilled:

**"But Uncle Victor, I know absolutely nothing about managing a resort hotel! " I wouldn't know where to start! Besides…Will needs to be going back to school in a few weeks, I can't stay here and manage this place! And…I am supposed to be on my honeymoon Uncle Vic!"**

Sonny also mentioned to his Uncle Vic that he already had a business venture which was already expanding; he couldn't just up and leave it. It wouldn't be fair to smiled through the video screen:

**"Sonny I'm only asking you to run the resort temporarily until I can find a suitable replacement, unless you decide to keep the job. Will can help you. He is more than capable. I need people I can trust to manage that resort. You are family….I'll be sending your father down there to look after my legal interests"**

Sonny knew that when his Uncle Vic mentioned family, there was no more arguing. He relented and accepted the responsibly. He would have to coordinate his management efforts alongside a special team of investigators that would be put in place to see if some of the money could be found, and perhaps distributed to the employees that had been harmed. Employees would have to be interviewed. And hotel customer files would have to be looked into to see if any of the customers could also be charged with a crime.

Sonny and Will waited for the police to ask them to stand down, go back to their island, but that didn't happen. Instead, the police commissioner came on their yacht and asked if Will and Sonny would do the honours of publicly firing the manager in front of his employees. He would then be arrested and charged. Both Sonny and Will were looking forward to that. Just before Will left the yacht, the police commissioner said that he would give Will's best to his grandfather Roman when he called his that afternoon to upraise him of what was happening. When Will looked inquisitively at the police commissioner Will received a friendly wink and a remark:

**"Oh yes, by the way, your grandfather Roman says hello. He called me this morning after he received word about all this from Sonny's dad. He wanted to make sure that you were okay and that the situation was under control. I'll tell him that you and Sonny, along with my police force have everything under control."**

* * *

Sonny and Will walked into the main lobby of the administration building; something they had planned to do, again, several hours ago, but fortuitous circumstances prevented them from doing that. This time, they were accompanied by Kiriakis Security and several members of the local police force, and a team of Public Prosecutors . Madelaine and Little Ari stayed on the yacht.

Jonas was still at the desk. When he saw Will and Sonny, his expression changed, but this time it probably wasn't because of their hand holding (although they were holding hands) but most likely because of the police presence. He seemed a little intimidated, although the police were hanging back at the prosecutors' and Sonny's request.

When the boys reached the desk, Jonas smiled meekly and asked if they had enjoyed their snorkeling expedition. Will smiled and said:

**"We certainly did, the water was beautiful. I had a great time. We talked to Adam and learned quite a bit about what goes on around here."**

Jonas' expression changed yet again; a hint of a disappointed snarl flew across his face, almost as if he were thinking that he had been right about them:

**"Ah…I suppose you would like to talk to the manager then…"**

Sonny shook his head: **"Actually I am going to let those gentlemen and ladies behind me talk to Mr. Harris...is that your manager's name? And his office is behind the doors there?"**

Jonas nodded, as Sonny pointed behind him.. Jonas now was completely confused. Sonny looked towards the police and nodded. The police then came forward and headed behind the front desk and entered, unceremoniously into Mr. Harris' office.

Sonny looked back at Jonas, who had been staring at the police as they walked past him. Sonny smiled and handed Jonas a copy of a document:

**"That document states that the ownership of this Resort has been transferred to the control of Kiriakis Enterprises. Mr. Harris has been stripped of his management duties; he will be preoccupied with other matters. I have been named as temporary manager. My name is Jackson Horton-Kiriakis, but you can call me Sonny. My husband, Will, will be assisting me."**

It was about then that Sonny, and the rest of the people in the administration building heard a cry of: **"You can't do this to me! Do you not know who I am?! I know important people! I will have all your jobs! I am innocent! Innocent, I tell you!"**

Sonny let Jonas watch as Mr. Harris was carted away. And then Sonny told Jonas that he and all other employees were to give as much assistance to the police as they can. Sonny also mentioned that there needed to be an all-employees management meeting scheduled immediately. He looked towards his husband to see him staring menacingly at Mr. Harris.

Sonny knew that he and Will had a lot of work to do; helping the police in their investigation; helping the employees; managing the resort. He hoped that Will and he would still have time for each other and for Little Ari. This was turning into some honeymoon.


	29. Chapter 29

Sonny took a deep breath and stepped towards the middle-front of the stage he was standing on. His father had just spoken. They would be gathering employees, in small groups, over the last two days, to explain to them what was happening; to the resort, to Mr. Harris, and to them. This was the first group, and it was bound to be the trickiest one of all of them. These were all employees that Mr. Harris had used, that his clients had abused. They had been gathered based on a list that was compiled by Will, who had managed to access all the important files in a matter of minutes. Will had also found a ledger of client transactions and several money trails.

Sonny had thought he would save the group comprised of the victims for last, but Will and Justin thought otherwise, and they were right. These young men needed closure. They needed to be reassured, and if Sonny waited, they might do something rash.

The local police and Justin had already spoken. The local police informed them that each one of them was going to be interviewed as potential witnesses to crimes perpetrated by Mr. Harris. Justin informed them of the fact that Kiriakis Enterprises was now sole proprietor of this island's resort. Justin informed them that there would not be many changes to the day-to-day operations, and no immediate changes in personnel, the exception being Mr. Harris and anyone found to be associated with any of Mr. Harris' operations.

This revelation brought on a few gasps. Justin reassured them that victims of Mr. Harris' activities would not be fired and that anyone who was forced into certain acts would be considered victims.

And then it was Sonny's turn. He had asked Will to join him on stage. Will, being Will, was extremely reluctant to be speaking in public, but being Sonny's support, THAT he was more than willing to do.

Sonny took one more deep intake of breath and then spoke. He introduced himself. Informed the employees that he would be the interim manager, and that his husband Will would be the assistant manager. He recognized that some of them had reacted a little negatively at the mention of 'husband'. He was expecting that:

**"Please gentlemen, I understand your reluctance. And yes, Will and I are gay, we are newly married. We came to these islands on our honeymoon, with our daughter…."**

Sonny then looked towards his husband and then down towards the bassinet that Will was carrying.

**"Not all gay men are like the ones that you all had to deal with. Some of us are non-violent. Some of us are even victims, like you, of predators; regardless of sexual orientation. What you went through was horrible. And we hope that you will be compensated for it, and that you will see justice done, and that Mr. Harris and a lot of his clients will be imprisoned."**

Sonny felt Will's reassuring hand on his shoulder, and he knew that they would all get through this. He commended them all for being able to do great work here at the resort, even though they had to endure great hardship, and he knew they would continue to do great work. The abuse will stop, and if anyone, employees or resort guests try anything, Sonny wanted to be informed, or at the very least the police should be:

**"This kind of thing cannot, and will not be swept under the rug. We will all deal with this head on…"**

* * *

It was the end of a really long day of a rather long week. Sonny had been busy supervising the staff at the resort, so that it could run smoothly. Will was busy helping the police, and Justin, interview the staff that were victims of various crimes committed as a result of Mr. Harris' little venture.

Victor had been in touch on several occasions, and informed Sonny, in his last communication, that he had chosen Sonny's replacement, and that Justin, Sonny, Will and Arianna Grace would be free to return to Salem in a few days.

As was their custom, for the last few days, Will and Sonny, upon arriving back to the private island, went up to visit with their daughter. They played with her and fed her, and cuddled with her, and each other, until she fell asleep.

They both tried not to feel guilty about all the time they planned on spending with their daughter but weren't. They both knew that she was only a baby, so Little Ari wouldn't remember any of this, but they still wanted her to feel loved. They wanted to witness her experience all her first. They didn't want to miss anything. Real Maddie was great with her, but she wasn't them. They both missed Little Ari terribly during the day, although she and Madelaine did visit them very frequently.

Little Ari had turned out to be an interesting management tool. Sonny smiled as he remembered this afternoon's incident when two frustrated employees burst into his office and started shouting at each other. Sonny had been sitting at his desk, with Little Ari asleep in her bassinet by his feet. When the two employees barged in, he quickly scooped up his daughter, and cuddled her. And as they started shouting her covered her ears and soothed her. When the employees saw the baby, they very quickly quieted.

Sonny then asked the two employees to explain their problem, quietly, but not to him:

**"Talk to my daughter; one at a time. Do not make her upset. When one of you is done the other will have his say. She will chose who goes first…won't you my little sweetie-pie?"**

And the two employees talked to Little Ari, calmly and Sonny was able to get the feel for the disagreement and was able to solve the problem very easily. Little Ari… expert in conflict resolution and only just over three months old.

Sonny watched his husband put Little Ari down, for what they hoped would be a nice little nap before they put her down for the night at around 11:00 PM, and that meant they had a few hours for themselves, to eat, talk about their day, and do other more intimate things.

He then grabbed Will's hand and led him through the door to their room, where a beautiful candlelight dinner was waiting for them. They sat down and ate together, feeding one another some of the bite sized pieces that were specifically made so that Sonny and will could entertain themselves with that kind of intimate eating.

Will enjoyed this time with Sonny. They talked about Little Ari and about their day and they usually took the time to just stare at each other while one or the other put something in the other's mouth. Will was reluctant to break this pattern but he had something to discuss with Sonny; a proposal by Victor Kiriakis. Will wasn't sure how Sonny would react. Will himself was extremely surprised when he heard Victor's proposal, just about an hour ago.

Sonny watched Will. He enjoyed watching his husband, seeing the various emotions flowing across Will's face at any given moment. Will was rather easy for Sonny to read. And right now Will's expression was a little worrisome; or rather it would be if Sonny didn't have an idea what was causing this slightly apprehensive, I-have-something-to-share-but-don't-really-want-to look on Will's beautiful face.

_"Seems as if I am not the only one Uncle Victor talked to this afternoon"_ thought Sonny, as he smiled, slightly enjoying letting Will grapple with his decision to tell or not to tell. And within seconds Will's expression changed to one of resolve. And Will was just about to open his mouth to say something when Sonny spoke: **"Uncle Victor called you this afternoon"** was all he said. Will's expression changed instantly from resolved to one of confusion, and Sonny smiled:

**"Let me guess Will. He offered you a position on the board of one of his companies back in Salem…didn't he…"**

Sonny almost laughed out loud at Will's next expression; total surprise. Will was also forming a question. Sonny anticipated that one as well:

**"How did I know? Because...he offered a position to me as well. I'm surprised that he would want to have two Horton-Kiriakis' on his board…"**

Will bounced back from his surprise rather quickly: **"He told me that my position on Kiriakis Enterprises's board would only be part-time. I could continue my college degree if I chose to do so…or spend more time with Little Ari."**

Sonny smiled. His Uncle Victor certainly knew what buttons to push to get what he wanted:

**"He told me that I could still run Common Grounds if I wanted…but he hinted that it would make things easier if Kiriakis Enterprises had an interest in Common Grounds…"**

Will looked a little worried: **"Sonny…no offense to your Uncle Vic…who I guess is now my Uncle Vic…but do we want to get mixed up in that kind of high-rolling big business venture?…especially considering what Uncle Vic used to be into…"**

Sonny was about to answer Will, as best he could but there was a knock on the door. It wasn't the door to Little Ari's room, so it wasn't about her (and besides they would have heard her since they did her the baby monitor on), an it had been the custom of the house to let Will and Sonny have evenings alone without interruption, so Sonny told whoever it was to enter, with a bit of worry in his voice.

It was Justin and he was carrying an Ipad: **"Sorry to disturb you two, but Uncle Victor wishes communication."** He handed Sonny the IPad and then stood grinning at Sonny and Will's bewildered expression.

Sonny looked at the Ipad and saw the image of Victor Kiriakis waiting patiently (well patiently for Victor Kiriakis). He unmuted the IPad and greeted his Uncle Vic who smiled and greeted him back:

**"Hello Sonny, I assume that Will is with you…"** Sonny nodded and Will greeted his Uncle Victor with a hello**…"Good. I also assume that you both told the other about my offers…"** Sonny nodded and Will voiced his assent.

**"Good. I wanted to discuss things in more detail if I may…"**

Victor started to expound on his idea for both Sonny and Will's participation in the family business, the legitimate family business. He had been very impressed with how Sonny had handled being put in charge of a large resort, spur of the moment. He was also impressed with Will, who helped out Sonny where he could and who was able to help out the police and Justin and his team of investigators piece together the finance aspect of this clandestine operation.

Victor told Will and Sonny that he wanted to have both of them as board of directors of the parent company, of which his was chair. They would both be junior members and he wanted their main responsibility to be that of overseeing investigations of current and potential acquisitions concerning their managements ethical behaviour. He did not want to have a repeat of what happened at the resort. They would both be paid a per-annum, and would have other perks like the use of company planes.

Will thanked Victor but voiced the opinion that he was far too young for such responsibility, and Sonny chimed in to say that he felt the same about himself. Victor laughed and said: "**Balderdash. You both proved to me, to your father, and to the other members of our board, not to mention the islands' police force, that you are more than capable. What you lack in experience you make up for it with instinct. We will start you both off slowly. You won't do any more than you are comfortable doing, at least not much more…I know you both enjoy a good challenge...This will be a challenge."**

As for Sonny's involvement with Common Grounds, Victor was of the opinion that very soon it would be too big for Sonny to have hands-on storefront management responsibility. Managing a chain of coffee-houses would not be the same as managing just one. He should take the opportunity, as a director of Kiriakis Enterprises to see how some of the Kiriakis holdings managed their outlets. It could give him some ideas about how to proceed with Common Grounds, or at least how not to proceed.

Will and Sonny both looked at Justin, both sets of eyes inquiring as to Justin's opinion about all this. Justin looked at his son and his son-in-law, pride written all over his face. He knew that Sonny in particular wanted to be able to make it on his own. He had also known, for a while now that Uncle Vic was way too impressed with him to allow him be stay independent of the family business for too long. And since Will also demonstrated a keen head on his shoulders when it came to dealing with obstacles, he knew that it wouldn't be long before an offer was set before them both; especially after how they had handled themselves over the last few months, including these last few weeks:

**"Boys, I think you both know what to do. This is a great opportunity. I know you both can handle it. It doesn't mean you have to give up your other dreams, whatever they are. Sonny, you can still have Common Grounds, and Will, continuing your degree in Computer engineering is also a good idea. But this is…well, a chance of a lifetime…but it is of course up to you…"**

Sonny and Will looked at each other. They looked back at Justin and then at Victor, through the IPad, and said simultaneously: **"Okay. We'll do it."**

* * *

After Victor had said goodnight and after Justin had left, with a smile and a I-hope-you-have-a-good-time smile on his face, Sonny and Will were left alone. They finished their dinner and moved to the hot tub. They explored each other's bodies, licking the salt water off parts of their bodies that very rarely ever saw sunlight.

Their passion for one another increased and they moved to the bed, so that neither one accidentally drowned while in its throws. For Sonny and for Will giving and receiving were each a gift that one presented the other and one also experienced from the other. Each taking their turn, showing the other what love truly meant; the trust, the passion, the joys of sharing their bodies, their energies and their souls with one another.

Sonny and Will both hoped that they would be able to continue this sharing, this passion, even when in the midst of more mundane surroundings, even when they didn't have people dedicated to helping them through their day; when they had to cook their own dinner, wash their own clothes.

Actually they both knew they could do it. They had been doing it. They loved their mundane life; although with a baby, every minute was something special. Yes, they did look forward to going back to their lives in Salem; even though now there would be changes; changes for the better. They would be happy, together, all three of them.


End file.
